"Many congratulations": Former world number one Maria Sharapova praises young Mirra Andreeva after Indian Wells triumph

Former world number one Maria Sharapova has praised young Russian sensation Mirra Andreeva for her heroics at the Indian Wells. The 17-year-old, who is already regarded as the one for the future, secured the biggest win of her career on Sunday as she lifted the WTA 1000 title in California after beating the world number one Aryna Sabalenka in the final with a score of 2-6, 6-4, 6-3.

While doing so, she achieved a lot of small milestones on her way. She became the third-youngest player to win the women’s singles title at the Indian Wells. She also becomes the second-youngest player to win Wa TA 1000 event or a Grand Slam by beating the world number one and two in the semifinal and final. Before getting the better of Sabalenka in the final, Andreeva defeated reigning world number two Iga Swiatek in the semifinal with a score of 7-6, 1-6, 6-3.

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Former world number one Sharapova has praised the youngster in a post on the social media platform X—previously known as Twitter. “Mirra 💕 Many congratulations!! So poised. So well deserved. 🏆,” she wrote. Those words would mean a lot for the youngster who has often been regarded as the player to make her country proud, just like Sharapova did in her playing days.

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Talking after the match, Andreeva once again showcased her innocence after announcing that she would like to ‘thank’ herself for believing herself while playing against one of the best player in the world in women’s tennis in the singles category. "I would again like to thank myself for fighting until the end and for always believing in me and for never quitting," she said.  "I tried to run like a rabbit today. It was really hard to just keep up, so I just tried my best and that's why I would thank myself, because I think I played a little part also."

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