"it's actually a bit easier to play": Mirra Andreeva credits crowd energy after victory over Elena Rybakina

Mirra Andreeva has been surprised by the level of support she’s received at Indian Wells after a remarkable fourth-round victory over Elena Rybakina. The teenager once again took down the 2022 Wimbledon champion, just weeks after doing the same on her way to her first WTA 1000 title at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.

The Russian now has seven top-10 victories, with this latest win ending Rybakina’s nine-match winning streak at Tennis Paradise. Andreeva seems to have found consistency in her career quickly, emerging as a strong title contender.

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Her rapid success has earned her the crowd’s affection, along with her spontaneous and outgoing personality. However, Andreeva admits she doesn’t fully understand why she has so much fan support. "I don't know why people are supporting me this much, because honestly, when I was playing in [the] US, my results were not great,” the 17-year-old stated.

"You know, last year here I lost in the first round. At the US Open, twice I lost in the second round. So I don't know why people are supporting a lot for me, but no, it feels great," she added, smiling. "They stayed until the end of our match, and they were still supporting tonight, as well."

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The ninth seed expressed gratitude to the fans who stayed until late at night in the cold to cheer her on. "It's pretty late and it's pretty cold outside, so, for me, it feels amazing because I know that sometimes when you play a late match, people, you know, they don't really want to stay and watch the match when it's cold and late outside."

"I don't know why, but I have a lot of people that are supporting me, and I don't know, something about United States is people are so energetic, and when I play a match and some people are supporting me," the world No. 9 claimed. "I just kind of feel their energy. It kind of lights me up a little bit, and after, it's actually a bit easier to play, as well."

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Andreeva now prepares to face Elina Svitolina in the quarter-finals, after the Ukrainian eliminated American world No. 4 Jessica Pegula. Since the war began, Svitolina has found inspiration whenever she faces Russian players, boasting a 9-1 record against them since returning from maternity leave in 2023. "I know that she's a fighter, she runs for every ball. Now she's also playing a little bit more aggressive," Andreeva said.

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