Mirra Andreeva‘s 2026 season opener at the Brisbane International ended in defeat, but the teenage star still managed to produce one of the tournament’s most talked-about moments thanks to an unexpected interruption that quickly went viral.
During her quarterfinal match against Ukrainian No. 16 seed Marta Kostyuk on Friday night, Andreeva was twice disrupted while preparing to serve at Pat Rafter Arena when a nearby train blasted its horn at the exact moment she tossed the ball.
A clip shared by The Tennis Letter on X showed the horn sounding with uncanny timing, stopping Andreeva in mid-motion not once, but twice. The second interruption drew loud laughter and cheers from the crowd, briefly cutting the tension of an otherwise high-level contest.
Even players appreciate the coincidence
The moment was as amusing as it was improbable, and even the players appeared to appreciate the coincidence. Still, once play resumed, the focus returned quickly to the tennis. Kostyuk remained composed and closed out a 7-6(7), 6-3 victory over the sixth-seeded Andreeva, taking a 1-0 lead in their head-to-head series and advancing to the semifinals.
Andreeva’s Brisbane run had begun on a positive note. She opened the tournament with a win over Australia’s Olivia Gadecki and followed it up with a solid performance against Linda Noskova. Her progress was halted by Kostyuk, however, despite flashes of the form that fueled her rise over the past year.
Kostyuk‘s path to the semifinals was equally impressive. She started her campaign by defeating Yulia Putintseva and then delivered a notable upset over two-time Grand Slam finalist Amanda Anisimova. That momentum carried into her matchup with Andreeva, where she again delivered under pressure.
A loss after a breakout season
For Andreeva, the loss comes after a breakout 2025 season that firmly established her among the game’s elite. The 18-year-old claimed her first major career title at the Dubai Open by defeating Clara Tauson, then added a WTA 1000 trophy at Indian Wells with a stunning victory over world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka. Those wins pushed her to a career-high ranking of No. 5, although she narrowly missed qualifying for the WTA Finals.
Kostyuk’s win in Brisbane marked her second consecutive victory over a top-10 player and sent her into a singles semifinal for the first time in 21 months. During her on-court interview, the 23-year-old explained that her aggressive approach was shaped by the contrast in pace compared to recent opponents.
After facing heavy hitters like Sabalenka, Elena Rybakina and Anisimova,Kostyuk said Andreeva’s ball felt slower, even though she acknowledged the Russian’s depth and ability to change pace. She described the match as more physical than explosive and said the humid conditions in Brisbane added another layer of difficulty.
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