Russian teenage sensation Mirra Andreeva fought back from a set down to overcome world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the BNP Paribas Open women’s singles final at Indian Wells.
The 17-year-old won 2-6 6-4 6-3 – her 12th successive victory – to clinch her second WTA 1000-level event in a row after she triumphed at the Dubai Open in February.
Andreeva, the youngest women’s finalist at the tournament in 24 years, found her form midway through the match and crumpled to the ground in celebration after closing it out with a forehand winner.
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Top seed Sabalenka got herself out of a slump to bring some of her best tennis to the California desert this year but her form unravelled in the final and she was left to rue missed opportunities.
Andreeva had lost to Sabalenka twice this year and it looked as though the pattern would repeat itself as the hard-hitting Belarusian sent a backhand winner down the line on break point in the fourth game.
A visibly frustrated Andreeva sent a shot into the net on break point in the eighth but regained her poise in the second set, where she broke Sabalenka with a forehand winner in the third game and fended off two break points in the sixth.
After trading breaks to open the third set, Sabalenka’s errors began to pile up and she fired into the net on break point in the third game to give the ninth-seeded Russian the advantage, from where she was able to hold firm to seal victory.
‘I looked at myself in the mirror’
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Andreeva shared some amusing post-match reaction after beating Sabalenka
Mirra Andreeva on Sky Sports Tennis:
“After the first set, she killed me once again and I didn’t know to do. I was a bit negative with myself because I had a lot of opportunities and didn’t convert them.
“After I went on a toilet break I tried to think and calm myself down, I looked in the mirror and said a lot of positive things, even though it wasn’t easy, and just like that I tried to bring myself back and in the end it worked.
“I would say I’m a little surprised that I did it [WTA 1000 titles] so soon, but I feel confident in my game and know what I’m going to do and what to expect from myself as soon as I go on court.”
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