It seems like a season full of heartbreaks for Aryna Sabalenka. The Belarusian sensation first had to endure a tragic end to her bid for an Australian Open three-peat, and now, the Indian Wells title slipped through her hand for the second consecutive year. Only this time, her rival was much less experienced, aged merely 17. Mirra Andreeva shocked the World No. 1 in the summit clash after overcoming a set deficit to claim her second consecutive WTA crown this season. But never mind, the Belarusian is already setting herself up for revenge.

The WTA ranking leader exacted revenge against Madison Keys after falling to the American in the Australian. And it was quite a revenge, with the scoreline showcasing a bagel and a breadstick.

Before setting up a rematch with Keys at the BNP Paribas Open, Sabalenka had already expressed her desire to topple the former – a promise she kept by outclassing her ruthlessly. Having suffered a similar fate yet again in the Indian Wells decider against Andreeva, the 26-year-old is looking forward to another clash.

Talking to reporters during her post-match press conference, Sabalenka said with a smiling face: “Yeah. I want the rematch already. Maybe she made a big mistake right now, but it’s okay. I will let her enjoy the beautiful trophy. No, I’m kidding. I don’t want to talk like that. But of course, next match I’m going to go out and fight even more, and I will make sure that I didn’t make the same mistake that I did today.”

Sabalenka, however, also praised the 17-year-old’s victory and hilariously compared her own teenage time with that of the Russian player during the award ceremony. “Congrats on having a great team. If I had the same team you have at your age, I’d probably be a better player by now! At your age, I was struggling with finding the right coach, but you’ve got it so much earlier; that’s why you’re doing so well. It’s amazing to see your success,” the Belarusian added.

Meanwhile, Andreeva also found a way with words. Tipped as the next superstar ever since breaking onto the scene at the Madrid Open in 2023, Andreeva summed up her latest achievement quite brilliantly while expressing the difficulties she faced locking horns with the World No. 1.

Mirra Andreeva on Aryna Sabalenka’s title fight – ‘Had to run like a rabbit’

Mirra Andreecva defeated the Polish No. 1 Iga Swiatek en route to setting up a clash against Aryna Sabalenka at the Indian Wells. While she faced resistance against the World No. 2 in the last four, the Belarusian made things considerably difficult for the teen talent by mounting an impressive lead in the opening set. However, Andreeva held her nerves to stage a comeback victory, 2-6, 6-4, 6-3.

Later, the Russian player highlighted the resistance she faced from Sabalenka, praising her rival’s thunderous groundstrokes. “I tried to run like a rabbit today. It was really hard to just keep up, so I just tried my best, and that’s why I would thank myself because I think I played a little part [in the win], also,” the 17-year-old said during her speech in the award ceremony.

Andreeva also hilariously credited her win to herself, reiterating a similar Snoop Dogg-inspired speech she gave after downing Clara Tauson in Dubai last month. “I would again like to thank myself for fighting until the end and for always believing in me and for never quitting,” the youngster concluded.

On Monday, Andreeva will rise to a career-high No. 6 in rankings. The Russian sensation will next take to the court in Miami, where she will look to complete a remarkable Sunshine double and let’s be honest – she has all the tools to get it done.