Aryna Sabalenka was beaten in the Indian Wells final by the rising teenage talent star Mirra Andreeva.
Sabalenka is already seeking revenge on Andreeva, who has now won 12 consecutive matches after claiming back-to-back WTA 1000 titles in Dubai and Indian Wells.
The 17-year-old is now at a career-high ranking of world number six, with Andreeva bidding for history at the Miami Open.
There have been some big claims made about Andreeva in recent weeks, with Sabalenka now stating what she thinks the teenager could go onto achieve.
Aryna Sabalenka says what is definitely going to happen to Mirra Andreeva
Andreeva made her breakthrough in 2023 as a 15-year-old, where she went on a run to the fourth round of the Madrid Open before being beaten by Sabalenka.
Despite winning the Indian Wells final, Sabalenka has the upper hand on Andreeva in their head-to-head.
Three of their six matches have come in 2025, with Sabalenka beating Andreeva at the Australian Open and Brisbane International.
When speaking in her pre-tournament press conference at the Miami Open, Sabalenka explained what Andreeva has improved since their first match in 2023.
The world number one also claimed that while she does not know when Andreeva will become a Grand Slam champion, she is sure it will happen one day.
“She definitely improved her game, as the results shows,” said Sabalenka. “She definitely can be a great player, she’s moving well, she’s serving well, hitting some great shots, she has the touch.
“She has really matured and I think… she is so fast with the results and with the improvements in her game and she is so young, so I cannot predict when she is going to be a Grand Slam winner or world number one, but she is definitely going to be one.
“So, that’s just impressive to see her success honestly, and I’ve been dealing with her since like her 15, 16, 17 and ongoing. (laughs). I already can’t wait for our next match and I can’t wait to take another match.”
| Year | Tournament | Result |
| 2023 | Madrid Open (R16) | Sabalenka beat Andreeva, 6-3 6-1 |
| 2024 | Madrid Open (QF) | Sabalenka beat Andreeva, 6-1 6-4 |
| 2024 | Roland Garros (QF) | Andreeva beat Sabalenka, 6(5)-7 6-4 6-4 |
| 2025 | Brisbane International (SF) | Sabalenka beat Andreeva, 6-3 6-2 |
| 2025 | Australian Open (R16) | Sabalenka beat Andreeva, 6-1 6-2 |
| 2025 | Indian Wells (F) | Andreeva beat Sabalenka, 2-6 6-4 6-3 |
Aryna Sabalenka says why she struggles to watch her matches back
Sabalenka lost to Madison Keys in the Australian Open final to begin her season, but has since got revenge over the American.
Despite this, Sabalenka has revealed that she does not like to watch herself back and turns the volume down when she has to.
“I mean I love myself, but not that much!” Sabalenka joked. “No, I cannot watch myself honestly like when I see myself like grunting, like yelling, screaming, throwing the rackets, I’m like ‘Oh my god that’s really me, okay whatever’. I ask them (her team) to put the volume really down on them, no I don’t do that.”
The three-time major winner added, “I know exactly what happened in each match that I lost, and we speak with the team straight after the match, so we know exactly what happened in each of them, so I don’t really go back and watch my matches. Maybe that’s wrong, but that’s how it works and I believe it works pretty well so far.”
Sabalenka will look to move on from her Indian Wells disappointment on Thursday March 20 against Bulgarian player Viktoriya Tomova in her opening match at the Miami Open.
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