"I criticised Iga Swiatek, this was even more dangerous" - Fans slam Mirra Andreeva for hitting ball at crowd in frustration during Indian Wells final

Tennis fans turned critical of Mirra Andreeva after a GIF of the Russian hitting the ball into the Indian Wells crowd started gaining traction. The moment occurred during the 17-year-old's resounding win over reigning World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the women's singles final of the 2025 BNP Paribas Open.

Despite Andreeva ultimately emerging victorious, Sabalenka proved too hot to handle for the teenager in the first set, with the Belarusian comfortably winning it 6-2. In the immediate aftermath of the one-sided set's conclusion, a frustrated Andreeva tossed a ball into the air and angrily smashed it into the crowd. The following GIF soon started doing the rounds on X.

Tennis fans didn't take long to voice their opinions on Mirra Andreeva's behavior. Several brought up a similar incident involving WTA No. 2 and five-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek during her loss to Andreeva in the semifinals of the 2025 BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells.

"I criticised Iga for ball incident and said that the situation was unacceptable. This one was even more dangerous, because I don't think there was any control in that hit. So I hope the same standards will be applied to both players," a fan wrote.

"Now that shes in the big leagues, she needs to stop this behaviour. She’s no longer in the juniors, in the lower level and needs to learn that this is unacceptable behaviour," commented another.

"I think we can all agree that mirra should've been disqualified for this she could've taken someone's eyes out. JUST BECAUSE YOU ARE 17 DOESNT MAKE THIS OKAY," another fan chimed in.

Here are some more reactions from tennis fans to Andreeva's moment of frustration during the 2025 BNP Paribas Open women's singles final:

"Give her the same s**t that you gave Iga and other players for similar behavior c’mon now do it!" urged one fan.

"Wait …. we need to talk about sport psychologists another day in a row i fear," another added.

"I actually think this is different to the iga situation. Iga’s one was directed at the ball boy which I felt was nasty. Mirra does need to watch herself a lil tho," weighed in yet another fan.

Mirra Andreeva was back to her best in the second and third sets, winning them 6-4 and 6-3, respectively, to win her second WTA 1000-level title.

"I tried to run like a rabbit today because Aryna Sabalenka's been sending bullets" - Mirra Andreeva after BNP Paribas Open 2025 title triumph in Indian Wells

Mirra Andreeva (left) delivering the women's singles winner's speech at the 2025 BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells with runner-up Aryna Sabalenka (right) watching on (Source: Getty)

Mirra Andreeva engineered Aryna Sabalenka's undoing in the 2025 BNP Paribas Open final by producing a brilliant display of defensive tennis across the second and third sets. While the Belarusian tried her best to overpower the Russian, the latter almost always managed to get the ball back, resulting in unforced errors from the World No. 1.

After the conclusion of the contest, a beaming Andreeva shed light on how she kept pace with Sabalenka, saying:

"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."

Andreeva's victories against Swiatek and Sabalenka on the way to winning the title in Indian Wells also helped her become only the third player under 18 to beat the two top-ranked players in the same tournament. Steffi Graf did it for the first time at the 1987 Miami Open, and Serena Williams was the next to achieve the feat at the 1999 US Open.

Mirra Andreeva's back-to-back WTA 1000-level title triumphs in Dubai and Indian Wells have propelled her to a career-high ranking of No. 6. Her next competitive on-court outing is set to come at the 2025 Miami Open, the second and last chapter of this year's 'Sunshine Double'.