Diva Defeat: Siniakova Dethrones Defending Champion Andreeva in Wild IW Win

By Richard Pagliaro | Monday, March 9, 2026
Photo credit: Matthew Stockman/Getty

INDIAN WELLS—Katerina Siniakova dethroned defending champion Mirra Andreeva with a cliffhanger winner that sent the eighth seed over the emotional edge.

On match point, Siniakova’s backhand crashed into the top of the tape and crawled over.

That fortuitous bounce sealed Siniakova’s wild 4-6, 7-6(5), 6-3 upset—and sparked an indignant diva departure from the 2025 champion.

Andreeva lost her crown then lost her cool.

A tearful and irate Andreeva flung her racquet before the post-match handshake.

As the Stadium 1 crowd roared, Andreeva appeared to shout “F–k You All!” as she walked off the court.

#Siniakova's stunning victory over the reigning champion Andreeva marks a monumental upset, continuing the 35-year streak of the title never being successfully defended at this tournament.#IndianWells#BNPParibasOpen#TennisParadise pic.twitter.com/Y6SgO575Ou

— THE TENNIS TALK 🏆 (@AnalyticsTennis) March 9, 2026

Later, a veteran photographer who was in the photo pit for the end, told us he could clearly hear Andreeva curse and said her wrath appeared to be directed at a vocal Siniakova fan.

Mirra Andreeva is a rockstar pic.twitter.com/hjlXWd2Plp

— Barstool Tennis (@StoolTennis) March 10, 2026

Afterward, Andreeva said she was cursing out herself, but conceded she’s “not really proud of how I handled it.”

“Well, of course I can say that there were a lot of emotions that I was going through after the
loss. But of course I’m not really proud of how I managed it,” Andreeva said. “I’m not really proud of how I handled it in the end.

“Those are the things that really need to work on soon. I don’t know. Not in the future but whenever I get the chance. Yeah, I hope that I can work on it and I get better in that, as well.”

Siniakova, who raised both arms in apology after her net-cord shot dribbled over, said the strange conclusion was more a sense of relief than rejoicing.

“I mean, 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.

“Definitely I hit the backhand. I was like, oh, is it on the other side? Yeah, it was relief, you know, anyway. So no one wants to finish like this. I wanted to enjoy it, but definitely I will not say I’m not happy. I was happy it was on the other side.”

The strong-willed Siniakova battled for three-and-a-half hours subduing Leylah Fernandez 5-7, 6-4, 7-6 in round two that was the second-longest Tour-level match of the season.

Today, the world No. 44 toiled through two hours, 48-minutes of baseline fury in a match that featured 42 break points and 14 breaks of serve.

Siniakova’s staying power is a virtue: She scored her 11th career Top 10 win today and in her 11th BNP Paribas Open appearance reached the fourth round for the first time.

The 29-year-old Siniakova will face Australian Open semifinalist Elina Svitolina, who beat Ashlyn Krueger, 6-4, 6-2, for a quarterfinal spot.

As for Andreeva, while you have to cut her some slack as an emotional 18-year-old, she’s also got to maintain some sense of maturity on the court.

It was a distressing departure, particularly given how supportive Indian Wells fans were toward the teenager during her magical run to the 2025 title. Andreeva beat Elina Svitolina, Elena Rybakina, No. 2 Iga Swiatek and No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in a stirring run to the Indian Wells championship.

“It was to myself, to everyone, basically,” Andreeva said. “I mean, after the loss, I just get very angry, so I
say those things sometimes to myself. I mean, first to myself, of course, but then, yeah, it was just anger coming out, just a lot of emotions. Not really towards anyone.”

Today, the red-hot cauldron of title defense pressure and emotional volatility saw Andreeva melt down after following that fluky match point. Sometimes the ball doesn’t bounce your way, but true champions find a way to bounce back.

It’s a lesson Andreeva will likely learn as she continues to grow.

Interestingly, Andreeva said while her stylistic role model is legendary Martina Hingis, her temperamental hero is 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams, no stranger to volatility.

“In terms of game style, I think one of my idols is Martina Hingis. I really love her as a person
and as a player as well,” Andreeva said. “I was actually thinking about it recently. I think the one
person that was handling losses very well was Serena Williams, like I’ve never heard or seen her upset or, you know, even I remember, like, she was losing finals on the slams, and she would always smile and be happy for her opponent that she won the match and she got the trophy.

“So maybe it’s something that I can also try to learn, and yeah, we’ll see how that’s gonna go. Yeah, we’ll see.”