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Mirra Andreeva continued her incredible rise at the highest levels of professional tennis as the 17-year-old Russian defeated Aryna Sabalenka, the world No 1, 2-6, 6-4, 6-3 at Indian Wells to secure the biggest title of her career.
The victory closes out an immense run in the California desert where Andreeva outplayed the two best players in the world, Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek, in the final two rounds. Andreeva also defeated Elena Rybakina and Elina Svitolina in her difficult run through the draw.
Having broken into the top 10 last month, Andreeva will now rise to a career high rank of No 6. After also winning the Dubai Open in February, she has won two of the first three WTA 1000 tournaments of the season and is on a 12-match winning run, the longest of her young career.
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Andreeva leaves Indian Wells having put herself in position to contend for grand slam titles for many years. On American soil for the first time since her US Open win, Sabalenka had been in spectacular form at Indian Wells, reaching the final without dropping a set and demolishing Madison Keys – her conqueror in the Australian Open final – 6-0, 6-1.
The Belarusian maintained that form early on, striking the ball imperiously as she rolled through the opening set. Despite that, Andreeva maintained her composure and forced her way back into the match. She thrived throughout the second set by calling upon her resourcefulness, picking Sabalenka apart with a stream of delicate drop shots while looking for opportunities to attack with her trusty backhand down the line.
Andreeva’s talent has been undeniable ever since she began to break through on the WTA tour as a 15-year-old. This year, though, she has shown significant offensive improvements, pairing her cerebral, varied style with real firepower. Her first serve, which scaled 126mph against Swiatek, has become a genuine weapon and her backhand is now one of the very best shots in the world.
In the final set of one of the biggest matches of her career, Andreeva took her chance with both hands, serving superbly and drawing errors from an increasingly shaky Sabalenka to close out a monumental win.
