The defending champion of the WTA 1000 tournament in Indian Wells, Mirra Andreeva, suffered an unfortunate exit from the event in the third round. Facing the doubles specialist Kateřina Siniaková, the Russian lost in a gruelling three-set match, and vented her frustration afterwards by smashing her racket and lashing out at the crowd.
During her press conference, she explained the reasons for the outburst and who it was directed at.
Mirra Andreeva Explains Her Indian Wells Outburst After Losing to Kateřina Siniaková in Third Round
Siniaková defeated Andreeva 4-6, 7-6(5), 6-3 in a gruelling three-set match that lasted nearly three hours on Monday, March 9. After getting broken twice early in the first set, Andreeva won six out of the next seven games to take the set 6-4, announcing her dominance.
Both players traded breaks three times, forcing a tiebreak, where Siniaková outshone Andreeva, taking it 7-6(5). In the deciding set, the Russian broke the Czech star before getting broken twice consecutively and lost the set 3-6, ending her title defense hopes.
Following the loss, Andreeva was seen lashing out at the crowd and smashing her racket, which caught the attention of the entire tennis world. During her post-match press conference, the teenager explained what happened after the loss that led to her outburst.
She said, “Well, of course I can say that there were a lot of emotions that I was going through after the loss. But of course I’m not really proud of how I managed it. I’m not really proud of how I handled it in the end.”
Andreeva acknowledged that she needs to control her emotions after such high-level losses and needs to improve how she reacts. “Those are the things that really need to work on soon. I don’t know. Not in the future but whenever I get the chance. Yeah, I hope that I can work on it and I get better in that, as well,” she added.
When the reporters asked to whom her outburst was directed, whether it was the fans, the Russian concluded by saying, “It was to myself, to everyone, basically. I mean, after the loss, I just get very angry, so I say those things sometimes to myself. I mean, first to myself, of course, but then, yeah, it was just anger coming out, just a lot of emotions. Not really towards anyone.”
Andreeva entered the tournament as the defending champion, having beaten the World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the championship match last year in three sets. Notably, she defeated Grand Slam champions Elena Rybakina and Iga Świątek en route to the final, leaving a lasting impression on tennis fans worldwide.
This led to high expectations this year, as she entered as the eighth seed and received a first-round bye. When she stepped for the first time into the Indian Wells Tennis Garden, she absolutely squashed her second-round opponent, Solana Sierra, with a double bagel. However, her very next match turned things upside down, ending her title defense against World No. 44.
Siniaková has been in impressive form, picking up wins against multiple top players. She opened her campaign against Sofia Kenin in the Round of 128 match, defeating the American 1-6, 6-4, 6-1. She then faced the 27th seed of the tournament, Leylah Fernandez, whom she dispatched in three sets with a scoreline of 5-7, 6-4, 7-6(1).
Now, after defeating Andreeva in the Round of 32, she is set to face the ninth seed of the tournament, Elina Svitolina, who is in magnificent form since the beginning of the season, winning tournaments and making multiple deep runs.
According to PFSN’s exclusive interactive simulator, the Ukrainian has a 73% chance of winning the match and reaching the quarterfinals.
