Aryna Sabalenka revealed that Mirra Andreeva made her feel ‘old’ (Image: Getty)
joked that she felt “depressed” despite reaching the Indian Wells final in incredible fashion. The world No. 1 beat Madison Keys in just 51 minutes, losing only one game. Sabalenka was delighted to get revenge on Keys, who beat her in the final, but her mood was soon brought down when she looked ahead to the final.
The top seed will take on teen sensation Mirra Andeeva, who is nine years her junior. While Sabalenka has a good record against the world No. 11, she says Andreeva makes her feel “old” and questioned a reporter for bringing up their age gap.
Sabalenka has stormed through the draw in Indian Wells, reaching the final without dropping a set. The top seed made a huge statement in Friday’s semi-final, ending Keys’ 16-match winning streak with a dominant 6-0 6-1 victory.
The three-time Major winner will now try to end another winning streak in Sunday’s final as she takes on recent Dubai champion Andreeva. The Russian teenager has won 11 matches in a row, beating top players like and .
But Andreeva has typically struggled against Sabalenka. She suffered two defeats to the world No. 1 in January and has an overall 1-4 record against the Belarusian.
Andreeva’s only win came at the 2024 French Open when it later emerged that Sabalenka was carrying a stomach bug. Although Sabalenka has plenty of positives to take into the championship match, one element of her rivalry with the world No. 11 is bothering her.
Aryna Sabalenka produced a statement performance to reach the Indian Wells final (Image: Getty)
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Aged 26, Sabalenka is nine years older than Andreeva. And the world No. 1 still feels old whenever she sees her opponent.
“No, it doesn’t matter. I passed this stage of thinking about the age of my opponent,” Sabalenka said when asked if she felt extra pressure facing a ‘kid’.
“It just, you know – I don’t know. I still feel like I’m 18. You know, it’s just so awkward for me to think that I’m 26 and 27 this year, and she’s 17 and is, like, just two years older than my sister.
“I look at my sister as, like, a kid. You know, I remember her being this little baby. So I look at Mirra and think, ‘Oh my God, I’m so old’. Yeah, that’s just crazy.”
The question clearly stirred up some emotions for Sabalenka. “I’m depressed right now. Why do you ask that question? I’m almost 30,” she joked.
Sabalenka is seeking her first title in Indian Wells, having previously finished as the runner-up in 2023. But Andreeva is hungry for revenge after suffering two heavy defeats in January.
“The matches that we played this year didn’t really go my way. Yeah, I can say she almost killed me, especially in Melbourne,” the 17-year-old said after winning her own semi-final match.
“Yeah, I’m going to try to take 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, a lot of great points.”