Andreeva makes history with Indian Wells triumph over Sabalenka
Alona Yadav | Mar 17, 2025, 22:31 IST
( Image credit : IANS )
Seventeen-year-old Mirra Andreeva secured her second consecutive WTA 1000 title at Indian Wells by defeating world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, becoming the third-youngest female champion in the tournament's history. In the men's final, Jack Draper claimed his first ATP Masters 1000 title, defeating Holger Rune.
Seventeen-year-old Mirra Andreeva claimed her second consecutive WTA 1000 title on Sunday, defeating world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka 2-6, 6-4, 6-3 at Indian Wells. With this victory, the Russian teenager becomes the tournament's third-youngest female champion in history, following only Martina Hingis (1998) and Serena Williams (1999).
Andreeva is also the youngest woman since Hingis in 1997 to win back-to-back WTA 1000 events, having triumphed in Dubai just two weeks ago. The victory extends her winning streak to 12 consecutive matches.
"I would again like to thank myself for fighting until the end and always believing in me and for never quitting," Andreeva said in her on-court interview, echoing similar self-acknowledgment after her Dubai win. "I was running like a rabbit today because Aryna, she's been sending bullets and it was really hard to just keep up."
After being thoroughly outplayed in a 36-minute first set where she won fewer than half her service points, Andreeva staged an impressive comeback. She broke Sabalenka early in the second set and eventually leveled the match with back-to-back aces at 5-4. In the deciding set, Andreeva gained the upper hand with a break at 2-1 and sealed the victory by firing a forehand past Sabalenka before sinking to her knees.
Five-time Grand Slam champion Maria Sharapova congratulated her compatriot on social media, writing: "Many congratulations!! So poised. So well deserved."
Andreeva's path to the title was particularly impressive, as she defeated three top-ranked players – No. 7 Elena Rybakina, No. 2 Iga Świątek, and No. 1 Sabalenka – becoming the youngest player in 40 years to defeat the world's top two ranked players at a WTA event.
Having broken into the world's top 10 for the first time after her Dubai victory, Andreeva will now rise to a career-high No. 6 ranking ahead of the Miami Open.
In the men's final, Great Britain's Jack Draper claimed his first ATP Masters 1000 title with a commanding 6-2, 6-2 victory against Denmark's Holger Rune. The 23-year-old Draper, who had defeated two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz in the semifinal, needed just over an hour to dispatch Rune without facing a single break point.
This breakthrough victory propels Draper from 14th to seventh in the ATP rankings and adds to the two ATP Tour titles he won in Vienna and Stuttgart last year. He becomes only the fourth British player to win an ATP Masters 1000 title and the second to triumph at Indian Wells after Cameron Norrie four years ago.
Andreeva is also the youngest woman since Hingis in 1997 to win back-to-back WTA 1000 events, having triumphed in Dubai just two weeks ago. The victory extends her winning streak to 12 consecutive matches.
"I would again like to thank myself for fighting until the end and always believing in me and for never quitting," Andreeva said in her on-court interview, echoing similar self-acknowledgment after her Dubai win. "I was running like a rabbit today because Aryna, she's been sending bullets and it was really hard to just keep up."
After being thoroughly outplayed in a 36-minute first set where she won fewer than half her service points, Andreeva staged an impressive comeback. She broke Sabalenka early in the second set and eventually leveled the match with back-to-back aces at 5-4. In the deciding set, Andreeva gained the upper hand with a break at 2-1 and sealed the victory by firing a forehand past Sabalenka before sinking to her knees.
Five-time Grand Slam champion Maria Sharapova congratulated her compatriot on social media, writing: "Many congratulations!! So poised. So well deserved."
Andreeva's path to the title was particularly impressive, as she defeated three top-ranked players – No. 7 Elena Rybakina, No. 2 Iga Świątek, and No. 1 Sabalenka – becoming the youngest player in 40 years to defeat the world's top two ranked players at a WTA event.
Having broken into the world's top 10 for the first time after her Dubai victory, Andreeva will now rise to a career-high No. 6 ranking ahead of the Miami Open.
In the men's final, Great Britain's Jack Draper claimed his first ATP Masters 1000 title with a commanding 6-2, 6-2 victory against Denmark's Holger Rune. The 23-year-old Draper, who had defeated two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz in the semifinal, needed just over an hour to dispatch Rune without facing a single break point.
This breakthrough victory propels Draper from 14th to seventh in the ATP rankings and adds to the two ATP Tour titles he won in Vienna and Stuttgart last year. He becomes only the fourth British player to win an ATP Masters 1000 title and the second to triumph at Indian Wells after Cameron Norrie four years ago.