After a tournament full of surprises and intrigue in the California desert, there are two players who remain in contention to win the elusive “Sunshine Double” this year: Mirra Andreeva and Jack Draper.
Just how everyone predicted, right?
Despite the star-studded fields full of experienced veterans at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, it was the two young, on-the-rise players who stole the show — and the $1.2 million in prize money — en route to claiming breakthrough titles on Sunday.
Wow! Mirra Andreeva and Jack Draper… Their future is right now and tennis is looking better than ever! Congratulations 👍👏 @BNPPARIBASOPEN
— Chris Evert (@ChrissieEvert) March 17, 2025
Andreeva, 17, has been considered one of the brightest emerging stars on the WTA Tour since her auspicious debut in 2023, but she’s found another gear this season and cemented herself as one of the best players of the present. After a fourth-round run at the Australian Open, Andreeva won the biggest title of her career at the 1000-level Dubai Open last month and surged into the top 10. And her momentum even further ramped up at Indian Wells, as she defeated three major champions during her run to the trophy. Elena Rybakina, the 2022 Wimbledon victor, won just three games against her in the Round of 16.
But it was what she did in the semifinals — against five-time Slam champion Iga Swiatek — and in the final — against world No. 1 and three-time major titlist Aryna Sabalenka — that proved that Andreeva’s reign is officially upon us. In both matches, the Russian teenager needed three sets but dug deep and dominated in the decider in both.
Already the youngest to ever win an 1000-level trophy, Andreeva is now also the youngest to win consecutive titles at that level (formerly known as Tier 1) since Martina Hingis in 1997. Now riding a 12-match win streak, she is the current tour leader in matches won this season at 19. While Andreeva acknowledged she was ahead of her own schedule in terms of what she wanted to achieve in an interview with ESPN at Indian Wells earlier in the tournament, she certainly wasn’t complaining about her accelerated timeline after the win on Sunday.
“Maybe it’s happening fast, but I like it,” she told reporters. “There is nothing bad that I can say about it. If it’s happening fast, I take it, you know. It’s not bad to win two tournaments in a row, so I’m really happy about that.”
Having jumped to a career-high ranking of No. 6, Andreeva will now look to become the fifth woman in history to claim the two stateside spring hard-court events back to back. And honestly, who’s going to bet against her at this point?
As for Draper, the 23-year-old from England, Indian Wells marked the most significant title in his career. He had never advanced past the quarterfinals at a Masters 1000-level previously, and stunned the field with one impressive win after another.
Defeating teenage prodigy Joao Fonseca in his opener, Draper then went on to beat three Americans (Jenson Brooksby, No. 3-seed Taylor Fritz and No. 11-seed Ben Shelton) in consecutive matches before upsetting two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz in the semifinals. In Sunday’s title match, Draper made quick work of Holger Rune 6-2, 6-2, in just over an hour.
“It means the world to me, honestly, to be able to be a champion here,” Draper said after the match. “I didn’t think about it until obviously the last ball was done. Before the match, you know, you’re thinking of all kinds of scenarios in your head, a lot of doubts, thinking that, you know, you probably could lose.
“And just what makes it even better is that, you know, just getting through those doubts and being able to play the final the way I did. I’m really happy, really proud of my achievements this week.”
Draper, who dropped just one set throughout his run, is now into the top 10 for the first time of his career at No. 7. He will look to keep his hot streak going in South Florida and become the eighth man – and first since Roger Federer in 2017 — to capture both titles in the same season.
Here’s what else we learned from Indian Wells, and what it all means for Miami, which gets underway on Tuesday at Hard Rock Stadium with former major champions Naomi Osaka, Petra Kvitova and Sofia Kenin.
What’s going on with Novak Djokovic?
It’s been a tough stretch for the 24-time major champion. After a challenging 2024 season, which saw him claim Olympic gold but not win a tour-level title, the 37-year-old was looking to get back on track in 2025. But that hasn’t been the case so far.
While he made it to the semifinals at the Australian Open in January, he had to retire after the first set due to a hamstring injury. He returned to competition in Qatar about a month later, where he lost in his opening-round match. There was then another injury scare after a video of him hobbling into the airport went viral — which he later called “awkward to see” as he had just accidentally struck himself in the ankle — and his status for Indian Wells was uncertain. However, Djokovic arrived to California in good spirits and claiming to be in full health. But his stay was a short one — he lost to Botic van de Zandschulp, a lucky loser, in his first match, 6-2, 3-6, 6-1. Djokovic later said he had been unable to find his rhythm and struggled with the court conditions, but didn’t seem to be in panic mode.
“I mean, obviously no excuses for a poor performance,” Djokovic said. “Just it doesn’t feel great when you play this way on the court, but congratulations to my opponent. You know, just a bad day in the office, I guess, for me.”
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Djokovic now arrives in Miami as the No. 4 seed, and playing at the event for the first time since 2019. He received a first-round bye, and is slated to take on Hamad Medjedovic or Rinky Hijikata in the Round of 64. He could potentially face up-and-coming American star Alex Michelsen in the following round, and Daniil Medvedev, the No. 7 seed and Indian Wells semifinalist, is also in his quarter of the draw.
Djokovic is a six-time champion at the event, but it’s been nine years since his last title there and it’s hard to think his confidence isn’t at least a little shaken at the moment. Will Miami be the tournament that rediscovers his winning ways? Or will it be another point of concern in what’s shaping up to be a season full of them?
Should we be worried about Iga Swiatek?
The new season has also been tough for Swiatek so far. At least, by her standards.
The 23-year-old and current world No. 2 reached the semifinals at the Australian Open, as well as in Qatar and in Indian Wells last week, but she has been unable to hide her frustration about not advancing further. The 2024 BNP Paribas Open champion, and the winner of five titles (four at the 1000 level and one major) during the first half of last season, Swiatek now hasn’t claimed a title since the French Open, nor has she reached a final.
During her semifinal loss to Andreeva at Indian Wells, Swiatek uncharacteristically hit the ball into the ground and then in the direction of a ball kid. On Monday, she took to Instagram to express regret for the incident, saying she wasn’t proud of the way she behaved, but was also surprised by the “harsh judgments.” She went on to try and put her frustration into context and explain the toll her positive doping test — and subsequent one-month suspension in the fall of 2024 — has taken on her, in addition to the criticism based on the emotions she’s now showing on court.
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“That’s not a healthy standard — considering that just six months ago, I felt my career was hanging by a thread, [I] spent three weeks crying daily, and didn’t want to step on the court,” Swiatek wrote. “Today, after everything I’ve been through, I’m still processing and coming to terms with those experiences.”
Swiatek said she realized in Dubai last month, during another loss to Andreeva in the quarterfinals as the defending champion, that she would likely not be able to regain the top ranking anytime soon and it “deeply upset” her.
However, she ultimately thanked her fans and said she would continue to set ambitious goals for herself, even if she “occasionally take[s] two steps forward and one step back.” She concluded by saying she would reach her goals at her own pace.
So, like Djokovic, Swiatek will now be looking to press the reset button in Miami. She won the title in 2022 — as the last player to successfully win the Sunshine Double — and has proven she’s still capable of making deep runs at big tournaments despite her internal struggles. Perhaps being so candid and vulnerable will be the unlikely catalyst for her first title of 2025.
It won’t be easy though. Madison Keys, who defeated her in the semis in Melbourne, Karolina Muchova and her longtime foe Jelena Ostapenko are all in her quarter, and Andreeva could be a potential semifinal opponent. No matter what happens though, Swiatek will be relieved for the season to turn to clay in a few short weeks. And that could change everything for her.
Will the veterans step up?
Between the rise of young players like Andreeva and Draper, surprise victors like Keys at the Australian Open, and the suspension and absence of men’s No. 1 (and 2024 Miami Open champion) Jannik Sinner, it’s been a fascinating season — and one that has become very hard to predict. There have been just two women to win multiple singles titles — Andreeva and Keys — in 2025, and Felix Auger-Aliassime is the only man to have done so thus far.
Some of the most experienced and top-ranked players, like Swiatek, have had flashes of brilliance this year but simply haven’t been consistent. Sabalenka won in Brisbane to open the year but then lost in the final at the Australian Open, in which she was trying to secure a rare three-peat, and at Indian Wells. Alcaraz lost in the quarters at the Australian Open to Djokovic but won the trophy in Rotterdam in February before falling in his own three-peat bid in the semis at the BNP Paribas Open.
Alexander Zverev, the top seed in Miami, fell to Sinner in the Australian Open final and has struggled since. He lost in his opener in Indian Wells to eventual quarterfinalist Tallon Griekspoor. Medvedev, the No. 7 seed in Miami, reached the semifinals at Indian Wells — but then was curiously beaten in straight sets by Rune — after a season that started with a second-round upset at the Australian Open.
Others who have won on tour include Belinda Bencic (Abu Dhabi), who returned just months ago from maternity leave, and a resurgent Denis Shapovalov (Dallas).
So yes, it’s been a very unexpected season so far.
Miami will be a chance for the top players to reclaim their top dog status and win one of the biggest titles on the hard court before shifting to the European clay season. Will the tennis hierarchy return to normal or will it continue to be unpredictable? Let’s find out.
Will the Americans fare better in Florida?
While the U.S. players started strong at Indian Wells, ultimately Asia Muhammad was the only American to hoist a trophy. The 33-year-old claimed the doubles title alongside Demi Schuurs and is now at a career-high ranking of No. 8.
Keys came close with a run to the semifinals but saw her 16-match win streak come to an anti-climactic close against Sabalenka, 6-0, 6-1. Shelton had the best finish for the U.S. men with a quarterfinal appearance.
Top-ranked Americans Fritz and Coco Gauff were both handed early exits in the Round of 16.
But the Americans have had more success in South Florida — where many of them reside and train — than Southern California in recent years (save for Fritz’s Indian Wells title in 2022). And because they are used to the hot and humid climate, they certainly have an edge over many others.
The third-seeded Gauff, who turned 21 last week, is from nearby Delray Beach and has openly spoken about her love for the conditions. She has never advanced past the fourth round at the tournament but will undoubtedly be looking for more in front of an adoring crowd, packed with her own family and friends.
In addition to Gauff and Keys, Florida native Danielle Collins, the No. 14 seed, is the reigning champion and she will be seeking to defend her title and hold on to her valuable ranking points. She reached the Round of 32 in Indian Wells.
Jessica Pegula, the No. 4 seed, reached the quarters in 2024 and since then has reached the US Open final, won the Canadian Open title and clinched the trophy in Austin just a few weeks ago. Emma Navarro, the No. 8 seed, won a title at the Merida Open earlier this month and seems poised for a signature victory. Amanda Anisimova, the No. 17 seed, won her first 1000-level trophy at Qatar in February and is capable of beating anyone when at her best.
For the men, Fritz, the 2024 US Open and ATP Finals runner-up, reached the quarterfinals in Miami in 2023 and will be trying to get his season back on track after a sub-optimal start. Others who could be among the last standing include No. 12 seed Tommy Paul, No. 13 seed Shelton, No. 16 seed Frances Tiafoe and No. 24 seed Sebastian Korda. John Isner was the last American man to win at the event, which he did in 2018. He also appeared in the final the following year.
Source: espn.com