The 17-year-old Russian arrived in Indian Wells as one to watch after claiming her first WTA 1000 title in Doha—a run that included stunners over No. 6 seed Elena Rybakina and No. 2 Iga Swiatek. She repeated the feat in Indian Wells, routing Rybakina 6-1, 6-2 in the fourth round and, on Friday, taking down Swiatek again for a 7-6 (1), 1-6, 6-3 win.
Read More: Mirra Andreeva beats Iga Swiatek again for 11th straight win, Indian Wells final berth
Now, Sabalenka will aim to halt Andreeva’s progress as the teenager seeks to extend her winning streak and fight for a second-straight WTA 1000 crown.
“I passed this stage of thinking about the age of my opponent,” Sabalenka said of Andreeva. “I still feel like I’m 18. It’s just so awkward for me to think that I’m 26 and 27 this year, and she’s 17 and is, like, just two years older than my sister.”
“I look at my sister as, like, a kid,” she added, laughing. “I remember her being this little baby. So I look at Mirra and think, oh, my God, I’m so old! Yeah, that’s just crazy. I’m depressed right now.”
