Mirra Andreeva made history as she became the youngest player in history to qualify for the Indian Wells final since 2001.
According to CNN, the 17-year-old stunned the defending champion Iga Świątek 7-6(1), 1-6, 6-3 in the semifinals on Friday, March 14, 2025, to face world No. 1 tennis player Aryna Sabalenka in the finals.
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Andreeva said, “After she literally killed me in the second set, I was just (like), well, ‘Okay, I might just try to fight. There is not much I could do about it. She was playing amazing. And I just kind of decided to grind and fight for every point. It doesn’t matter how I put the ball in. But I have to put it in.”
“So I just try to do everything, and in the end, it was not too bad... I know that my coach lost in the finals, so I'm going to try to be better than her,” she joked.
Notably, after reaching the Indian Wells finals, she became the youngest tennis professional to do so since Kim Clijsters in 2001. Along with that, she is also the fifth teenager player to reach this stage before turning 18 since the tournament’s inception in 1989.
Previously, Clijsters, Monica Seles, Martina Hingis, and Serena Williams have accomplished this milestone.
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