Ninth-seeded teenager Mirra Andreeva of Russia upset top-seeded and top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus in the finals of the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells Sunday, 2-6, 6-4, 6-3.
Sabalenka, 26, had yet to lose a set in the tournament entering Sunday’s final. She also lost the 2023 final at Indian Wells to Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan.
Andreeva, who will turn 18 on April 29, was ranked No. 11 in the world entering the tournament, a ranking that will rise thanks to her victory.
The men’s finals were scheduled to follow Sunday afternoon, with 12th-seeded Holger Rune of Denmark battling 13th-seeded Jack Draper of Great Britain.
Draper upset second-seeded Carlos Alcaraz of Spain on Saturday, 6-1, 0-6, 6-4, while Rune scored his own upset, knocking off fifth-seeded Daniil Medvedev of Russia, 7-5, 6-4.
“To come through the match today, that means so much to me, especially against a player of Carlos’ caliber,” Draper said after beating Alcaraz, who has won four Grand Slam titles at the age of 21. “I’m looking forward to tomorrow already. That’s the thing with tennis. You’ve got to get over wins like today, and all my focus and energy is on making sure that I do all the right things to give myself the best chance to win the tournament tomorrow.”
Draper entered the tournament as the 14th-ranked player on the ATP Tour, but his success at Indian Wells means he’ll crack the top 10 on Monday.
Rune is ranked No. 13.
“I feel like I can play like this day in and day out,” he said after toppling Medvedev, who had lost in the finals of the BNP Paribas Open the previous two years. “I’m not closing my eyes and hitting the lines on every shot like you can maybe do once per year. I feel like I’m definitely building the points, mixing up the tempo, grinding, finding solutions when they’re tough. I really try to focus on what I can control, and I try to find a way to win really.”