Mirra Andreeva and Magda Linette celebrate titles ahead of Olympic Showdown

Teenage sensation Andreeva was handed a maiden tour-level triumph when fellow Russian Elina Avanesyan had to retire in the third set with midnight fast approaching in Romania.

Andreeva, who reached the fourth round of Wimbledon in 2023 at the age of 16, held a 5-7 7-5 4-0 advantage after two hours and 21 minutes on court when Avanesyan could not continue.

It handed the 17-year-old a first ever title and is set to propel her into the top 25 of the WTA rankings after she made the French Open semi-finals in June.

The 17-year-old will now head back to Roland Garros for the Paris Games, where the Olympics tennis tournament will begin on Saturday.

Andreeva, who will play as a neutral athlete due to Russia‘s ongoing war with Ukraine, will get an extra day of rest and start her singles campaign on Sunday against Poland‘s Magda Linette, who also played on Friday and beat compatriot Magdalena Frech in the Prague Open final by a 6-2 6-1 score.

The title is the third of Linette's career - and the first on clay.

"I knew how tough it was going to be," said Linette. "I needed to play my best to beat her -- I really have to play my best -- and I'm glad I took all my chances today."

Unfortunately for Linette, her victory in Prague meant she would miss the opening ceremony of the Olympics in Paris.

"Honestly, when I heard that Céline Dion would be performing, I almost started crying," she said. "Because it's my absolute dream to see her live. Four times I've had tickets, and four times the show has been cancelled. That's a fifth time. I think maybe it's just not meant to be!"