“We’ll see who’s gonna win,” Mirra Andreeva declares ahead of her tie against Elena Rybakina in Indian Wells

Mirra Andreeva has faced Elena Rybakina twice in her career, with both players earning one win a piece against each other.

“We’ll see who’s gonna win,” Mirra Andreeva declares ahead of her tie against Elena Rybakina in Indian Wells

Mirra Andreeva and Elena Rybakina (via WTA/X)

Mirra Andreeva has continued to stun the tennis world despite being just 17 years old. The Russian teen, who reached her career-high ranking of World No.9 two weeks ago, reached her first round of 16 in Indian Wells. She will now face the 2023 champion, Elena Rybakina, for a place in the quarterfinals.

Andreeva made history at the Dubai Championships by beating three Grand Slam champions, Marketa Vondrousova, Iga Swiatek, and Rybakina en route to the final. The 17-year-old then crowned it up by becoming the youngest player to the WTA 1000 title since the introduction of the format in 2009.

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In Indian Wells, Andreeva will now face Rybakina for a rematch of the Dubai Championships semifinals. The duo have faced each other twice in the WTA Tour with Rybakina winning the first meeting and Andreeva the recent. Andreeva is the favorite to win the match considering her recent form on Tour.

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However, Andreeva believes the tie won’t be an easy one for her. She revealed during her on-court interview that the biggest threat in Rybakina’s game is her serves and forehand shot and she will be hoping to deal with it.

It won’t be easy. I beat her in Dubai in three sets. She’s won this event before. She feels comfortable here. She serves big and goes for her shots. We’ll see who’s gonna be better that day.

Mirra Andreeva said

Despite Andreeva being the favorite on paper, Rybakina cannot be underestimated. The former Wimbledon champion won the Indian Wells title in 2023 and has won most of her titles on hard courts. On her best day, she can beat any player and she has done that against the likes of Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka.

Mirra Andreeva reveals how she has evolved her game

Mirra Andreeva has grown from strength to strength each year. The teenager now has two WTA titles, including the Dubai Tennis Championships. She has also beaten the Top 2 players, Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka, in recent months. The Russian ace has also broken into the Top 10 of the WTA rankings.

Mirra Andreeva (via X)
Mirra Andreeva (via WTA/X)

After her third round in Indian Wells, she was asked during her press conference how has managed to evolve her game as she faces more tougher opponents. Andreeva revealed that has tried adjusting her game to that of her opponents.

I’m trying to adjust my game to that of my opponent. If I play against a big hitter, for example, I play differently. If I play against someone like Ons Jabeur, well, you know, she likes to create on the court, so I adapt and play differently. I guess that’s a good thing about my game, although most of the time, I feel that I play in a certain way, and if something goes wrong or I feel that it’s not working, I know I can adjust and change things.

Mirra Andreeva said via Indian Wells Press

Andreeva has earned an outstanding 15-3 win-loss record this season and looks to be growing on it. Perhaps, she might even shock the tennis world by winning a Grand Slam in 2025.