Indian Wells Open women’s singles defending champion Mirra Andreeva suffered a heavy loss in the round of 32 to Kateřina Siniaková, the former World No. 1 and a ten-time Major champion in the doubles category.
Serena and Venus Williams’ former coach has recently shared his thoughts on Andreeva’s changed form and why she is being limited in her game, which has led to her losses.
Serena Williams’ Former Coach Reflects on Mirra Andreeva’s Form As She Crashes Out at Tennis Paradise
The World No. 8 has commenced her Sunshine Swing after completing the Middle East Swing, where she competed in the Qatar Open and the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championship. In Doha, she faced a round-of-16 defeat to eventual finalist Victoria Mboko, and in Dubai, she reached the quarterfinal, losing to Amanda Anisimova.
She entered the BNP Paribas Open tournament, which is taking place at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden in Southern California from March 4 to 15, as the eighth seed and defeated Argentine talent Solana Sierra in the round of 64 in a double bagel, 6-0, 6-0.
She then faced Siniaková in the round of 32 and fell short with a concluding score of 4-6, 7-6 (5), 6-3 in 2 hours, 48 minutes.
Her recent form has drawn the attention of Serena and Venus Williams’ former coach, Rick Macci, who reflected that earlier, Andreeva used to control her rallies with precision and firm belief, and now she isn’t dominating, which allows her opponents to put pressure on her.
He added through his recent X post, mentioning, “Andreeva is playing VERY different than in the past. She was changing ball direction much earlier in the point with confidence and accuracy. Now she is not dictating like before and now others knocking at her door a lot more. @MirraAndreevaFR.”
Andreeva is playing VERY different than in the past. She was changing ball direction much earlier in the point with confidence and accuracy. Now she is not dictating like before and now others knocking at her door a lot more.@MirraAndreevaFR
— Rick Macci (@RickMacci) March 10, 2026
After her match, she also highlighted Siniaková’s prominent skills and the match, which captured a gritty battle between the stars. The Krasnoyarsk, Russia, native mentioned in the press conference, “Of course she’s a tricky opponent to face. She plays a lot of doubles, so she has good hands, good skills. I’ve never played against her. I mean, it was a tough match, of course.”
READ MORE: ‘I Get Very Angry’ — Mirra Andreeva Comes Clean About Her Emotional Outburst After Indian Wells Exit
She continued, “Was not the best day for me in terms of how I played, but also a lot of credits to her. She played good. She showed some good tennis on the court. Wishing her the best luck for the tournament.”
In the doubles category, Andreeva has reached the quarterfinals with Victoria Mboko and will face Anna Danilina and Aleksandra Krunić for the semifinal spot.
