DEFENDING Indian Wells champion Mirra Andreeva saw her title defense end in a cloud of frustration Monday night (Tuesday, March 10, 2026, PH time), as unseeded Katerina Siniakova outlasted the star in a volatile 4-6, 7-6(5), 6-3 third-round upset, the Associated Press reported.
The match was marked by emotional moments from Andreeva, who smashed her racket several times during the contest and later exchanged words with the crowd as she left the court.
After dropping the second-set tiebreaker, Andreeva threw her racket and then repeatedly smashed it on the court, drawing a code violation.
She tossed her racket again after Siniakova sealed the match point. Following a brief handshake at the net, the defending champion walked off while gesturing and shouting toward the spectators.
“I’m not really proud of how I managed it. I’m not really proud of how I handled it in the end,” Andreeva reportedly said during a news conference. “Those are the things that I really need to work on soon. I don’t know. Not in the future but whenever I get
the chance.”
According to a WTA report, the victory marks a career milestone for Siniakova, who reached the Round of 16 at Indian Wells for the first time. The win also secured her seventh appearance in the fourth round of a WTA 1000 event.
“I am [happy], so much,” Siniakova said in the press conference after the win. “I think you could see it in the match that I was trying to slow it down, you know, just take my time. Yeah, I’m just so happy that I finish it, because my body is feeling it, definitely.”
The match also featured tense exchanges between the two players, with both directing comments to the chair umpire about their opponent and sharing a few intense looks across the net. The dramatic finish came when Siniakova benefited from a net cord on match point that dropped on Andreeva’s side.
Siniakova admitted to a moment of hesitation on whether to celebrate the lucky bounce that ended the match.
“Of course I’m happy it went on the other side,” Siniakova said. “I was, like, ‘Should I cheer or should…’ no, it’s really tricky finish.”
Siniakova’s path forward doesn’t get any easier. She will next face Elina Svitolina, who advanced with a clinical 6-4, 6-2 victory over Ashlyn Krueger.
Svitolina currently holds a dominant 4-0 head-to-head record against Siniakova, including a previous victory on these same courts in 2024. / LBG