The proverb ‘Never pull the tail of a tiger’ rang true at Indian Wells. Aryna Sabalenka, seeking fierce revenge for her 2025 Australian Open final, dismantled Madison Keys in a ruthless 6-0, 6-1 victory, ending Keys’ 16-match streak. “I needed this revenge badly,” Sabalenka declared after her 51-minute demolition. Now, she sets her sights on a second Indian Wells final, facing the 17-year-old ‘future of tennis,’ Mirra Andreeva. Can Andreeva pull off a stunning upset? Tennis legend Rick Macci, former coach of Serena Williams, weighs in.

On Saturday, Madison Keys’ 16-match winning streak was abruptly halted as Aryna Sabalenka dominated, winning the first 11 games despite windy conditions. Keys finally held serve at 5-1 in the second set, but Sabalenka quickly closed out the match, setting up her third Hologic WTA Tour final this season (following her title win in Brisbane and runner-up finish in Melbourne) against Mirra Andreeva, a matchup Sabalenka humorously described as “kind of like an old mama playing against a kid”.

While Sabalenka playfully refers to Andreeva as a ‘kid,’ is that label still accurate? At 17, Andreeva boasts a Masters 1000 title, an 18-3 record, an upset of Iga Świątek in the Indian Wells semifinals, and an 11-match winning streak. The real question is not her age, but whether she can overcome the formidable challenge of Sabalenka.

Well, according to Rick Macci, this is going to be a different ball game than what was witnessed in the SF against Madison Keys. He tweeted, “Sabalenka on paper is the clear favorite. The experience the firepower and a bullet first serve to get free lunches. But the 17-year-old Russian Rocket now expects to win not hope to win. If there is a strong Breeze it will be a much different match then with Keys. @MirraAndreevaFR.”

Interesting fact: Aryna Sabalenka was defeated by Elena Rybakina in straight sets in the finals in the 2023 Indian Wells.

Well, to start with, Mirra Andreeva is proving Aryna Sabalenka right. Just months ago, Sabalenka predicted Andreeva’s Top 10 breakthrough, a feat Andreeva achieved in February after clinching the 2025 Dubai Tennis Championships, reaching No. 9. During that time, Rick Macci said, “She’s the real deal.”

Later on, Macci also came up with a tweet saying, “When players play Andreeva now it is a very different feeling. Before respect. Now fear. But it cuts both ways as she is done hunting and now will feel hunted. But nothing has changed! Things around everybody has changed. Still a court net lines and a street fight.”

Well, in a previous interview, Russian legend Maria Sharapova said that she likes Andreeva’s approach and her sensibility in her games. She also revealed that she thinks Mirra Andreeva has a “very bright future ahead of her.” Even Andy Roddick once predicted in his podcast that, “Mirra Andreeva is going to be number one in the world at some point.“

Can Andreeva really become the world’s number one in the near future? Not so far-fetched, though, right? Meanwhile, what do both finalists have to say about each other before this epic Indian Wells final, though?

After losing both of her matches this year against Aryna Sabalenka, Mirra Andreeva seeks revenge in Indian Wells

Aryna Sabalenka and Mirra Andreeva have faced each other five times in their careers so far. Currently, the Belarusian leads the H2H record by a 4-1 margin over the Russian, boasting an 80% win rate. Sabalenka had the last laugh in both of their previous meetings (Brisbane, Melbourne) this season. And, when Mirra Andreeva was asked to share her thoughts on facing Sabalenka for the third time this season, she said,

“Yeah, the matches that we played this year didn’t really go my way. Yeah, I can say she almost killed me, especially in Melbourne. Yeah, I’m gonna try to take a revenge because I still have nothing to lose, and I feel like the match is going to be probably entertaining. There is going to be a lot of, I think, a lot of winners and a lot of great points.“

After playing against Sabalenka five times in her career, Andreeva feels she now knows her opponent’s game a little bit better. However, she still doesn’t want to leave any stones unturned, as she states, “Now it’s going to be Conchita’s job to prepare me well for this match.” What does Aryna Sabalenka think of this teenage sensation, though?

Well, Sabalenka mentioned that Mirra Andreeva is just two years younger than her sister Tonechka. She even jokingly referred to the final as “old mama against a kid.” While speaking on Andreeva, she heaped praise on her rapid rise by saying, “It’s crazy what she’s capable of at such a young age, and it’s impressive to see. We played a couple of matches already, and I’m looking forward to facing this teenager.“

Can Aryna Sabalenka snap Andreeva’s 11-match winning streak, or will the ‘Giant Slayer’ yet again do what she does better than anyone else on the Tour? Share your thoughts in the comment box.