Mirra Andreeva, a rising star at just 17 years old, has claimed her second WTA 1000 title in a row. She achieved this feat by defeating World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka with a score of 2-6, 6-4, 6-3 in the BNP Paribas Open final.

This victory marks Andreeva’s 12th consecutive match win. Her streak began last month when she won her first WTA 1000 title at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships. Andreeva is now the youngest player since 2009, when the format was introduced, to achieve 12 straight WTA 1000 victories.

Andreeva, who entered the tournament ranked No. 11, has also become the youngest player in the last 40 years to defeat both World No. 1 and No. 2 in a single WTA event. In the semifinals, she defeated Iga Swiatek, the No. 2 seed and two-time defending champion, for the second time in a row.

Indian Wells is Andreeva’s third career title and her second this season. Impressively, two of these titles are at the WTA 1000 level. She is projected to rise to a career-high ranking of No. 6 in the PIF WTA Rankings on Monday. Currently, she leads the tour in wins this season with a total of 19.

‘I want to thank myself again for fighting to the end, for believing in myself, and for never giving up,’ Andreeva said in her on-court interview, quoting rapper Snoop Dogg.

‘I tried to run like a rabbit today. It was very difficult to keep up, so I just gave it my best. That’s why I want to thank myself, because I think I also played a part.’

Andreeva is the third youngest champion at Indian Wells, following Martina Hingis in 1998 and Serena Williams in 1999. Her path to the title was challenging, as she had to overcome a series of strong opponents. Besides defeating the top two ranked players, she also won against Varvara Gracheva, 22nd seed Clara Tauson (a rematch of the Dubai final), 7th seed Elena Rybakina, and 23rd seed Elina Svitolina.

Andreeva entered her first Indian Wells final seeking her first hard-court victory against Sabalenka. Previously, Sabalenka had won all four of their hard-court matches, including two earlier this year at the Brisbane International and the Australian Open.

Sabalenka, who was a finalist in 2023, quickly secured the first set in just 36 minutes. However, Andreeva showed early signs of resistance, earning a break point in the third game of the match. Sabalenka managed to save it with a skillful volley at the net.

After overcoming Andreeva’s initial pressure, Sabalenka took control, breaking Andreeva in the following game and conceding only one more game in the set to win it.

Andreeva turned the tide in the second set. Having failed to convert 18 break points against Sabalenka this season, she finally broke through with an excellent return game, punctuated by a forehand winner, taking a 2-1 lead. Defending her lead, Andreeva saved two break points after being down 0-30 to move to 4-2. She then clinched the set with a dominant service game, including consecutive aces, winning her first set against Sabalenka on hard courts.

‘In the second set, I aimed to be more aggressive,’ Andreeva explained. ‘I didn’t try to overpower her, because I don’t think anyone can outpower Aryna; she is incredibly powerful.’

‘I tried to find ways to make her uncomfortable, and gradually, point by point and game by game, I managed to do that.’

Andreeva’s momentum continued into the third set. She won eight points in a row to break Sabalenka at love, taking a 1-0 lead. Although Sabalenka briefly threatened a comeback by breaking back to 1-1, Andreeva responded immediately with another break and consolidated it to lead 3-1. She maintained her advantage to secure her first career victory against a reigning World No. 1.

‘Honestly, it was a battle against myself,’ Sabalenka admitted. ‘I made too many unforced errors at crucial moments, which allowed her to play better. Initially, everything was going smoothly, but then I made a couple of mistakes. She gained confidence from that. Afterward, my game deteriorated, and I tried to regain my rhythm, but it didn’t work out this time.’

Andreeva is the youngest player to defeat a World No. 1 in a completed match since 2008 and the youngest to do so in a WTA final since Maria Sharapova in 2005. She is also the youngest player to win back-to-back WTA 1000 or Tier 1 tournaments since Martina Hingis in 1997.

The tennis tour now shifts its focus to the Miami Open, the fourth WTA 1000 tournament of the season, which starts on Tuesday, March 18, at Hard Rock Stadium.