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Martinez Energises Rise Of Andreeva
The Straits Times
|March 18, 2025
Teenager credits coach after climbing to career-high No. 6 with 2nd WTA 1000 title
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INDIAN WELLS - Mirra Andreeva rallied from a set down to beat world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka for the Indian Wells WTA 1000 title on March 16, continuing a meteoric rise backed by the coaching counsel of Conchita Martinez.
"Maybe it's happening fast, but I like it. If it's happening fast, I take it," Andreeva said, after ensuring she climbed to a career-high sixth in the world on March 17.
The 17-year-old Russian said she tries not to gauge herself against the teen prodigies of the past, but the comparisons are calling.
Having already become the youngest-ever winner of a WTA 1000 title in Dubai in February, she added another elite title to her resume as she became the third-youngest woman to hoist the Indian Wells trophy, after Martina Hingis (1998) and Serena Williams (1999).
Not only did she beat the top-ranked Belarusian 2-6, 6-4, 6-3, she also defeated world No. 2 and defending champion Iga Swiatek in the semi-finals, becoming the first player under 18 to beat the top two at the same WTA tournament since Williams overcame Lindsay Davenport and Hingis at the 1999 US Open.
This story is from the March 18, 2025 edition of The Straits Times.
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