Teen Andreeva backs up Dubai triumph with Indian Wells title
Indian Wells : Russian teenager Mirra Andreeva came back to beat No. 1-ranked Aryna Sabalenka 2-6, 6-4, 6-3 in the BNP Paribas Open to make the 17-year-old the tournament’s youngest champion since Serena Williams in 1999.
The 11th-ranked Andreeva improved to 19-3 this season — the most wins by a woman on tour — and collected her second Masters 1000 title of 2025. The other came at Dubai in February, which earned her a top-10 ranking for the first time. Andreeva will return to that upper tier in Monday’s WTA rankings.
Revisiting a theme from her Dubai victory speech that referred to something rapper Snoop Dogg said when he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Andreeva told Sunday’s crowd: “I would again like to thank myself for fighting until the end and for always believing in me and for never quitting.”
“I tried to run like a rabbit today,” Andreeva continued, praising the way Sabalenka hit speedy shots. “It was really hard to just keep up, so I just tried my best and that’s why I would thank myself, because I think I played a little part (in the win), also.”
In the men’s final later Sunday, 13th-seeded Jack Draper of Britain defeated 12th-seeded Holger Rune of Denmark 6-2, 6-2 to earn his first Masters 1000 championship. Draper, who is 23, upset two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz in the semifinals on Saturday. The left-handed Draper, a US Open semifinalist in September, improved to 13-2 this year and will make his debut in the ATP’s top 10.
This was Andreeva’s fifth consecutive victory over a top-10 opponent, and Andreeva is now 9-5 against players ranked that high since the start of 2024. That includes two victories each over Sabalenka and No. 2 Iga Swiatek, the five-time major champion who lost to Andreeva in the semifinals at Indian Wells.
“Congrats on an incredible run,” Sabalenka said during the trophy ceremony. “Great tournament. Great tennis.”
Andreeva is the first player under age 18 to beat the women ranked No. 1 and No. 2 at the same WTA tournament since Williams defeated Lindsay Davenport and Martina Hingis at the 1999 US Open.
