From crying after Ningbo Open loss to winning back-to-back WTA 1000 titles in Dubai and Indian Wells: Mirra Andreeva’s remarkable rise

Mirra Andreeva has captured back-to-back WTA 1000 titles at the Dubai Tennis Championships and the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells. This marks a striking contrast to her emotional runner-up finish at the 2024 Ningbo Open, where she stood on the podium in tears following a three-set loss to Daria Kasatkina.

She reached her first Major semifinal in 2024 at the French Open and won her first WTA title in July at the Iasi Open. She also clinched a silver medal with Diana Shnaider in doubles at the Paris Olympics. But her heartbreaking loss in the 2024 Ningbo Open final was the turning point in her career. Tears pricked at the corner of her eye as she had to surrender the trophy, Andreeva found solace in Kasatkina's warm embrace.

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Andreeva headed into the 2025 season replete with restored confidence. The year began with a winning strike as she clinched the doubles title at Brisbane International with Shnaider. Her first singles title of the year was in Dubai, where she swept through the draw to beat Denmark's Clara Tauson in the final.

Keeping that form going, she arrived in Indian Wells as the ninth seed. Having a bye in the first round, she beat Varvara Gracheva, 22nd seed Clara Tauson, seventh seed Elena Rybakina, and 23rd seed Elina Svitolina before beating second seed Iga Swiatek in a marathon semifinal. In the summit clash, she defeated World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in a 2-6, 6-4, 6-3 encounter to secure her third WTA singles crown.

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Mirra Andreeva playfully thanked herself for escaping Aryna Sabalenka’s powerful strikes after Indian Wells triumph

In Picture: Mirra Andreeva during the 2024 French Open (Source: Getty)

Mirra Andreeva brought humor to her victory speech after securing the Indian Wells title against Aryna Sabalenka. While addressing the Indian Wells crowd, she jokingly thanked herself first before lightheartedly confessing that she had to sprint like a rabbit throughout the match to handle Sabalenka’s relentless power, comparing her shots to "bullets."

"Last but not least, I’d like to thank myself. I would like to thank myself for fighting til the end and for always believing in the end. For never quitting, I tried to run like a rabbit today because Aryna, she's been sending bullets and it was really had to just keep up, so I just tried my best. That's why, I want to thank myself because I think that I played a little part also. So, thank you, everyone," Andreeva said.

Now setting her sights on a third straight WTA 1000 title, Andreeva will make her debut at the Miami Open as the 11th seed. She received a bye into the second round, where she will face either Veronika Kudermetova or Wang Xinyu on Thursday, March 20.