Aryna Sabalenka marvels at Mirra Andreeva and her level of play at such a young age.
At just 17, the Russian has already won a WTA 1000 title and she has broken into the top 10.
Andreeva can now win her second successive WTA 1000 title when she takes on the World number one in the Indian Wells final.
Ahead of the contest, the Belarusian reserved some time to speak about her upcoming opponent, who she looks to beat for the fifth time.
What does Aryna Sabalenka find ‘crazy’ about Mirra Andreeva ahead of the Indian Wells final?
Both Aryna Sabalenka and Mirra Andreeva defeated two of the world’s top players to reach the Indian Wells final.
Sabalenka dispatched Australian Open winner Madison Keys 6-0, 6-1, while Andreeva beat the defending Indian Wells champion Iga Swiatek to advance to the championship match.
This will be the sixth meeting between Sabalenka and Andreeva, who are separated by nine years in age, something the three-time major winner tries not to think about, but still finds astonishing.
“No, it doesn’t matter. I passed this stage of thinking about the age of my opponent. It’s just, you know — I don’t know. I still feel like I’m 18,” Sabalenka said.
“You know, it’s just so awkward for me to think that I’m 26 and 27 this year, and she’s 17 and is, like, just two years older than my sister.
“I look at my sister as, like, a kid. You know, I remember her being this little baby. So I look at Mirra and think, oh, my God, I’m so old. Yeah, that’s just crazy. I’m depressed right now. Why do you ask that question? I’m almost 30.”
Aryna Sabalenka reaches Indian Wells final after recording 20th win against top 5 players
The tennis world were keen to see Sabalenka and Keys play each other again after producing one of the finest matches of the year in the Australian Open final.
Sabalenka was determined to exact some revenge on the American and she did just that with an emphatic 6-0, 6-1 victory.
This was her 20th win over a top five player in her career, and since her first match against a top five player in 2018, no player has won as many matches as Sabalenka.
Both Sabalenka and Andreeva are looking for their second tournament victories of the season, and it promises to be an exciting encounter.
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