Mirra Andreeva, of Russia, returns to Aryna Sabalenka, of Belarus, through the last match on the BNP Paribas Open tennis event Sunday, March 16, 2025, in Indian Wells, Calif.
| Photograph Credit score: AP
Russian teenager Mirra Andreeva got here again to beat No. 1-ranked Aryna Sabalenka 2-6, 6-4, 6-3 within the BNP Paribas Open on Sunday to make the 17-year-old the event’s youngest champion since Serena Williams in 1999.
The Eleventh-ranked Andreeva improved to 19-3 this season — probably the most wins by a lady on tour — and picked up her second Masters 1000 title of 2025. The opposite got here at Dubai in February, which earned her a top-10 rating for the primary time. Andreeva will return to that higher tier in Monday’s WTA rankings.
Within the males’s last scheduled for later Sunday, the Twelfth-seeded Holger Rune of Denmark was to face Thirteenth-seeded Jack Draper of Britain. Draper upset two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz within the semifinals on Saturday.
When she dropped the primary set towards three-time Grand Slam title winner Sabalenka, Andreeva put her physique into the windup after grabbing a ball, then angrily smacked it towards the stands.
Andreeva — carrying coaching tape on her proper shoulder — performed a lot better within the second set, significantly on serve, whereas compiling a 17-7 edge in winners. Quickly sufficient, that set belonged to her when she hit an ace to carry at love for the primary time all day.
Simply shy of 1 1/2 hours into the match, they had been heading to a 3rd set.
And {the teenager} acquired began in one of the simplest ways doable, breaking the big-serving Sabalenka at love. Andreeva took a 1-0 lead within the third with a too-strong passing shot that Sabalenka may barely even get her racket on.
Quickly, Andreeva’s lead was 4-2 and he or she by no means faltered.
She ended the match with one final forehand winner, then dropped to her knees and coated her face with each arms.
This was her fifth consecutive victory over a top-10 opponent, and Andreeva is now 9-5 towards gamers ranked that prime because the begin of 2024. That features two victories every over Sabalenka and No. 2 Iga Swiatek, the five-time main champion who misplaced to Andreeva within the semifinals at Indian Wells.
Andreeva is the primary participant below age 18 to beat the ladies ranked No. 1 and No. 2 on the identical WTA event since Williams defeated Lindsay Davenport and Martina Hingis on the 1999 U.S. Open.
The Russian can also be the youngest to win a WTA trophy by defeating the girl ranked No. 1 in a last since Maria Sharapova beat Davenport at Tokyo in 2005.
Printed – March 17, 2025 03:20 am IST
