Mirra Andreeva says she now believes she can beat “big players” after defeating Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek in Indian Wells
Mirra Andreeva defeats Aryna Sabalenka 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 to win her second consecutive WTA 1000 title at Indian Wells.
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Mirra Andreeva, Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka (via X/WTA)
Mirra Andreeva captured her second consecutive WTA 1000 title after defeating World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka in the final. The 17-year-old, who has experienced a phenomenal rise this season now has two titles in just three months. She has also beaten some of the WTA elites twice in the space of a month and is now full of confidence.
The 17-year-old star rallied from a set down in the Indian Wells final to win her 12th straight match, after winning her first WTA 1000 title at the Dubai Tennis Championships in February. She becomes the youngest player to win 12 consecutive WTA 1000 matches since the format began in 2009.
Andreeva arrived at the California desert ranked World No.11. She had defeated Iga Swiatek and Elena Rybakina in Dubai and was running with the momentum. In Indian Wells, she did the exact same thing, beating Rybakina in the fourth round and World No.2 Swiatek in the semifinals. She then progressed with the momentum by beating Sabalenka in three sets. Following her win over Swiatek and Sabalenka, Andreeva is now full of belief in her abilities.
The World No.6 revealed during her press conference that she now believes she can win big matches against big players.
I would say that now I’m sure that I can try and win really big matches against big players. Before I would just come out on court and try to win as many games as possible, because I had nothing to lose. Now facing top players, I really feel like I can beat them. There’s a belief in myself that now I can do it. That was the key today as well.
Mirra Andreeva said via Indian Wells Press
Andreeva will now look to continue with her form at the Miami Open. She was handed a first round bye in the WTA 1000 tournament, so she will open her campaign at the tournament in the second round against Veronika Kudermetova or Xinyu Wang.
Mirra Andreeva makes history after winning Indian Wells
Mirra Andreeva dropped only two sets en route to winning the Indian Wells title. The Russian teenager defeated Varvara Gracheva in the second round before beating 22nd seed Clara Tauson in a rematch of the Dubai Tennis Championships final. She then triumphed over Elena Rybakina 6-1, 6-2 in the fourth round.
She continued with her form beating Elina Svitolina 7-5 6-3 in the quarterfinals and 7-6(1),1-6, 6-3 against Iga Swiatek in the semifinals. She then claimed the title after beating Aryna Sabalenka 2-6, 6-3, 6-4. She’s the third youngest Indian Wells champion after Martina Hingis in 1998 and Serena Williams in 1999.
Mirra Andreeva reveals her new career ranking aim after becoming World No.6
Mirra Andreeva is the new No.6 in the WTA rankings. The 17-year-old has been backed to win her first Grand Slam this year after her form in Dubai and Indian Wells. However, she doesn’t just see herself as a title winner, the Russian star has revealed her career rankings aim this year and has decided to do her best to get it.
Kind of still trying to reach Top 5, because I haven’t yet. Also the goal for me is try and maintain this level and try to maintain this mindset as well. I’ll just try my best to do that, and we’ll see if I’m able to do it or not.
Mirra Andreeva said via WTA
Andreeva breaking into the Top 5 will be easy. However, she will need to focus on finding consistency as the season goes on. It’s just three months into the year and her current will not be defined by it.
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