By Richard Pagliaro | @Tennis_Now | Sunday, March 16, 2025
Picture credit score: Tony Chang/Chang Images
One thought hounded Aryna Sabalenka’s head after her three-set loss to Mirra Andreeva in at this time’s Indian Wells closing.
Rematch.
“Yeah. Yeah. I would like the rematch already,” Sabalenka mentioned with a smile after her 2-6, 6-4, 6-3 loss. “Possibly she made a giant mistake proper now, however it’s okay. I’ll let her benefit from the stunning trophy.
“No, I am kidding. I do not wish to discuss like that.
“However after all subsequent match I will exit and struggle much more, and I’ll make it possible for I did not make the identical mistake that I did at this time.”
Going through off for the third time this season, Sabalenka had not misplaced her serve in opposition to Andreeva till the third sport of the second set at this time.
Ultimately, the 17-year-old Andreeva performed with extra selection, readability and dedication down the stretch. Andreeva hit 5 extra winners—29 to 24—5 extra aces—6 to 1—and reeled off eight of the final 9 factors with a shrewd mix of defensive will get and offensive strikes. Andreeva broke Sabalenka’s serve 3 times within the closing set at this time.
It’s the second gut-wrenching three-set closing loss for Sabalenka this season.
The US Open champion misplaced her Australian Open title in a three-set basic to American Madison Keys.
A ruthless Sabalenka crushed Keys profitable 11 straight video games in a 6-0, 6-1 semifinal trashing to achieve the Indian Wells closing.
After dropping the opening set, Andreeva belted a ball into the stands and was barking at her field, together with her mother and coach, Wimbledon winner Conchita Martinez. These outbursts appeared to settle {the teenager}.
Sabalenka mentioned she ought to have managed her feelings higher and channeled her anger into motion within the closing set.
“I used to be simply too pissed with myself, as a result of I believe, yeah, it should not be the way in which I completed and I used to be simply pissed with myself,” Sabalenka instructed the media in Indian Wells. “I ought to have simply thrown that aggression on that facet as an alternative of being an excessive amount of, too exhausting on myself.
“So I wasn’t actually caring about what she was doing. I knew what she was going to do, and nothing actually stunned me. It is extra similar to about me controlling my anger a little bit bit higher.”
