Two Unexpected Champions at Indian Wells
The Indian Wells Masters 1000 tournament concluded with two unexpected champions, as Russian teenager Mira Andreeva triumphed in the women’s category, and British player Jack Draper won in the men’s.
The 17-year-old Andreeva claimed the title after defeating Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka, the world number one, 2-6, 6-4, 6-3 in the final.
The Russian, who became the youngest player to win a 1000-point title in Dubai last month, ended a series of defeats against Sabalenka, who had not lost a set in five previous encounters before the final. With this victory, Andreeva secured her rise to the sixth position in the world rankings, her highest-ever ranking, up from eleventh before the final.
Andreeva earned her first victory on hard courts over Sabalenka, who had beaten her twice earlier this year in the Brisbane International and the Australian Open, the first Grand Slam of the year.
Draper the Men’s Champion
Meanwhile, Draper surprised everyone by winning, claiming his first 1000-point Masters title with a dominant 6-2, 6-2 victory over Danish player Holger Rune in the final.
In the first-ever Masters 1000 final between two players born in the 21st century, Draper (23 years old) completely controlled his match against Rune (21 years old), the world number 12, finishing the match in just 1 hour and 9 minutes after breaking his opponent’s serve four times without allowing him a single chance to break his serve.
This final was also the first Masters 1000 final between two players outside the ATP Top 10 since British player Cameron Norrie (ranked 26th at the time) defeated Georgian Nikoloz Basilashvili (ranked 36th) in Indian Wells in 2021. Furthermore, it was the first final in the famous American tournament between two players aged 23 or younger since Rafael Nadal (22) defeated Andy Murray (21) in 2009.
Draper’s journey to his biggest career title wasn’t easy. He passed American Taylor Fritz, the 2022 champion, and Ben Shelton, before dethroning Carlos Alcaraz from his title and later avenging his loss to Rune, who had won their only previous meeting last year in the quarterfinals of the Cincinnati Masters 1000.
Rune, on the other hand, fell in his fourth Masters 1000 final, where he had previously won the Paris title in 2022.
With this victory, Draper entered the ATP Top 10 for the first time in his career, rising from 14th to 7th.
The Briton, who reached the US Open semifinals last year, said, “It’s unbelievable,” adding, “I’m just so grateful and happy to be there, to be able to play.”
Draper noted that he is in great physical and mental condition, having overcome several injuries that plagued him since 2023, including hip issues earlier this season.
He added, “I feel like all the work I’ve put in over the past few years is starting to pay off on the big stage, and I can’t describe it in words,” mentioning that his energy was “exhausted” after his huge semifinal win over two-time champion Carlos Alcaraz, but the slight tension he felt before the final quickly dispersed.
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