Mira Andreeva wins Indian Wells title

Teenager Mirra Andreeva showed why she is seen as one of the brightest young stars on the WTA Tour by beating world number one Aryna Sabalenka to win the Indian Wells title.

The 17-year-old from Russia came from behind to claim a 2-6, 6-4, 6-3 victory with a calm and clever display.

This is Andreeva’s second title in a row after winning in Dubai at the end of February. Both of her recent wins are at the WTA 1,000 level, just below the Grand Slam tournaments.

During the trophy presentation, Andreeva smiled and joked with the crowd, saying: “I’d like to thank myself – for fighting until the end, for believing in myself and for never giving up.

“I tried to run like a rabbit because Aryna was hitting so hard!”

Andreeva is now the youngest player ever to win a WTA 1,000 event. She stretched her winning run to 12 matches by defeating Sabalenka, a three-time Grand Slam champion from Belarus.

On Monday, Andreeva will move up to sixth in the world rankings – the highest position of her career so far.

She has been talked about as a future star since making a big impression as a 15-year-old at the Madrid Open in 2023. Former British number one Andy Murray even sent her a good luck message when she made her Grand Slam debut at the French Open the following year.

Many tennis legends, including Andy Roddick and Martina Navratilova, believe Andreeva has what it takes to become world number one one day.