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.
Revisiting a theme from her Dubai victory speech that referred to something rapper Snoop Dogg said when he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Andreeva told Sunday's crowd: "I would again like to thank myself for fighting until the end and for always believing in me and for never quitting."
"I tried to run like a rabbit today," Andreeva continued, praising the way Sabalenka hit speedy shots. "It was really hard to just keep up, so I just tried my best and that's why I would thank myself, because I think I played a little part (in the win), also."
In the men's final later Sunday, 13th-seeded Jack Draper of Britain defeated 12th-seeded Holger Rune of Denmark 6-2, 6-2 to earn his first Masters 1000 championship. Draper, who is 23, upset two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz in the semifinals on Saturday.