The kids are gonna be alright
Indian Wells Final Recap
Weird things happen in Palm Springs. Two unlikely champions have emerged from the men’s and women’s side of the Indian Well’s final. Not only that—the past two weeks have been filled with unusually cold weather, upsets, and rising young stars taking the spotlight.
Seventeen-year-old Russian, Mirra Andreeva, defeated world number one Aryna Sabalenka and number two Iga Swiatek, becoming the youngest player to do so at the same tournament since 1999, and becaming the youngest woman to win Indian Wells since Serena Williams in 1999. Twenty-three year old Brit, Jack Draper, has not had an easy path to the final either, defeating world number three Taylor Fritz, number 11 Ben Shelton, number two Carlos Alcaraz, and number 12 Holger Rune all in the same tournament.
Watch the highlights here:
👀 Looking ahead
The kids are going to be alright
As of today, both Draper and Andreeva have achieved career-high rankings following their performances at IW. Jack Draper’s new ATP ranking will be number 7 and Andreeva’s WTA ranking will be number 6.
Miami Open starts today
Across the country, more storylines form at the Miami Open. Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff, and Jessica Pegula are the top four seeds on the women’s side. Seeds on the men’s side will be drawn tomorrow, Monday, March 16. Favorites include Carlos Alcaraz, who won in 2022, Alex De Minaur, Americans like Taylor Fritz, Ben Shelton, Tommy Paul. There’s also Novak Djokovic who’s getting a little to old to participate in small tournaments like this but his narcissism is preventing him from quitting.
Emma Raducanu’s off-court problems
It’s hard not to feel for Emma Raducanu lately with her problems on and off the court. According to Express; “Just two points into her Dubai Open second-round clash with Karolina Muchova, Raducanu was reduced to tears after spotting the ‘fixated’ individual in the crowd. After pointing out the person, they were removed by security and then arrested by Dubai Police.” Moving forward, I hope to see Emma’s on-court and off-court problems fixed and her to return back to good form as soon as possible. If you haven’t already, I highly encourage you to read “Stalking: Women's sport's grim underbelly.”
Jannik Sinner will still be number one
Our favorite carrot top Italian, Jannik Sinner—who is currently on a three-month suspension—will still be the world number one after Indian Wells. Sinner has so many ATP points, if Alexander Zverev (#2) or Carlos Alcaraz (#3) win the Miami open, Sinner would still sit at the number one spot.
🎤 Shoutouts
🤓 Suggested Read: Mirra Andreeva Is Just Getting Started
🤓 Suggested Read: Serena Williams’ return to Indian Wells after 14-year tennis boycott: ‘Her family had been vindicated’
🤓 Suggested Read: Stalking: Women's sport's grim underbelly