By Richard Pagliaro | @Tennis_Now | Sunday, March 16, 2025
Picture credit score: Tony Chang/Chang Pictures
One thought hounded Aryna Sabalenka’s head after her three-set loss to Mirra Andreeva in in the present day’s Indian Wells remaining.
Rematch.
“Yeah. Yeah. I would like the rematch already,” Sabalenka stated with a smile after her 2-6, 6-4, 6-3 loss. “Perhaps she made an enormous mistake proper now, nevertheless it’s okay. I’ll let her benefit from the lovely trophy.
“No, I am kidding. I do not need to discuss like that.
“However in fact subsequent match I’ll exit and struggle much more, and I’ll guarantee that I did not make the identical mistake that I did in the present day.”
Going through off for the third time this season, Sabalenka had not misplaced her serve towards Andreeva till the third recreation of the second set in the present day.
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 thrice within the remaining set in the present day.
It’s the second gut-wrenching three-set remaining 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 succeed in the Indian Wells remaining.
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 stated she ought to have managed her feelings higher and channeled her anger into motion within the remaining set.
“I used to be simply too pissed with myself, as a result of I feel, yeah, it should not be the best way I completed and I used to be simply pissed with myself,” Sabalenka advised 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 arduous on myself.
“So I wasn’t actually caring about what she was doing. I knew what she was going to do, and nothing actually shocked me. It is extra similar to about me controlling my anger just a little bit higher.”
