INDIAN WELLS, Calif. (AP) — Russian teenager Mirra Andreeva came back to beat No. 1-ranked Aryna Sabalenka 2-6, 6-4, 6-3 in the BNP Paribas Open on Sunday to make the 17-year-old the tournament’s youngest champion since Serena Williams in 1999.
The 11th-ranked Andreeva improved to 19-3 this season — the most wins by a woman on tour — and collected her second Masters 1000 title of 2025. The other came at Dubai in February, which earned her a top-10 ranking for the first time. Andreeva will return to that upper tier in Monday’s WTA rankings.
In the men’s final scheduled for later Sunday, the 12th-seeded Holger Rune of Denmark was to face 13th-seeded Jack Draper of Britain. Draper upset two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz in the semifinals on Saturday.
When she dropped the first set against three-time Grand Slam title winner Sabalenka, Andreeva put her body into the windup after grabbing a ball, then angrily smacked it toward the stands.
Andreeva — wearing training tape on her right shoulder — played much better in the second set, particularly on serve, while compiling a 17-7 edge in winners. Soon enough, that set belonged to her when she hit an ace to hold at love for the first time all day.
