Andreeva hopes to turn tide against Sabalenka in Indian Wells title match
It will be Aryna Sabalenka and Mirra Andreeva colliding in the Indian Wells women’s singles final on Sunday. Sabalenka has won four of their five previous meetings, including two this year.
Mirra Andreeva, Indian Wells, 2025 © Zuma / Psnewz
Aryna Sabalenka had no trouble avenging her Australian Open final loss to Madison Keys, as the world No 1 crushed the American 6-0, 6-1 in the BNP Paribas Open semis on Friday night.
Now it is Mirra Andreeva who hopes it’s her turn for revenge against Sabalenka.
Andreeva and Sabalenka will be squaring off for the sixth time in their careers when they battle for the Indian Wells title on Sunday. The 17-year-old has prevailed once before (2024 Roland-Garros quarter-finals), but Sabalenka leads the overall head-to-head series 4-1 and has dominated both of their encounters this season. The Belarusian rolled 6-3, 6-2 in the Brisbane semi-finals and 6-1, 6-2 in the Australian Open round of 16.
“The matches that we played this year didn’t really go my way,” Andreeva admitted after upsetting two-time Indian Wells champion Iga Swiatek 7-6 (1), 1-6, 6-3 on Friday. “Yeah, I can say she almost killed me — especially in Melbourne. I’m gonna try to take a revenge, because I still have nothing to lose, and I feel like the match is going to be probably entertaining. There is going to be a lot of…I think…a lot of winners — a lot of great points.”
The world No 11 plans on enlisting the help of coach Conchita Martinez in an effort to turn the tables on Sabalenka.
“Now it’s going to be Conchita’s job to prepare me well for this match, so I hope she is gonna do it,” Andreeva said during her post-match press conference. “But, yeah, I will just go out there as for every other match and try to play my best and to fight for every point. And then we’re gonna see who’s gonna win.”
It will be a showdown between two Russians who don’t exactly run in the same circle of friends given that there is a nine-year age difference. They aren’t enemies, but they also won’t be going out to dinner with each other following Sunday’s match.
“I cannot say that we’re great friends,” Andreeva explained, “but if I see her, of course we can talk about something. But not like her and Paula (Badosa), for example. Yeah, I got to know her a little better as a person, because before I had no idea what kind of person she is.
“Now I know her a little bit better. Yeah, we don’t spend a lot of time together, but I just know her for a little bit now.”
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