Mirra Andreeva's run to the Indian Wells title was outstanding on so many levels and the Russian is now also the first under-18 player since the great Serena Williams to win a tournament after beating the two top-ranked players in the game in back-to-back matches.
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The new world No. 6, who will celebrate her 18th birthday on April 29th, ousted top-seeded Aryna Sabalenka 2-6 6-4 6-3 in Sunday's final to lift her maiden Indian Wells title. Two days earlier, the Russian also overcame world No. 2 Iga Swiatek7-6 (1) 1-6 6-3 in the semifinal.
The last player to beat the two highest-ranked WTA players in the game in back-to-back matches en route to capturing the main glorywas Williams in 1999, who famously beat Lindsay Davenport and Martina Hingis to capture her first Grand Slam win at the 1999 US Open.
Meanwhile, Andreeva lifted a title in the desert for the first time at 17 years and 309 days old.
The only difference between Andreeva's and Williams' runs is that the American won Indian Wells in her debut in 1999 while the Russian made it all the way at the tournament in her second appearance.
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Andreeva on if everything is happening 'too fast' for her
Before making the headlines in Indian Wells, the 17-year-old did the same in Dubai last month, when she won her first WTA 1000 title. Now, she is a two-time WTA 1000 champion at the age of 17 and owns currently the best streak on the WTA Tour after winning her last 12 matches.
After her latest success, Andreeva was asked if all of this was happening too fast.
"I would say that for me it doesn't really feel like I have been playing for a long time. Maybe it's happening fast, but I like it. There is nothing bad that I can say about it. If it's happening fast, I take it... It's not bad to win two tournaments in a row, so I'm really happy about that. If it's happening fast, I have no idea if it is, but I'm okay with it. Yes, I take it," the teenage sensation said.
