Katerina Siniakova defeated Mirra Andreeva (4-6, 7-6(5), 6-3) on Monday in the third round of the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells. Andreeva, an 18-year-old Russian who was trying to become the first woman to repeat at Indian Wells since Martina Navratilova in 1991, did not take the loss well.
While Siniakova enjoyed her victory, Andreeva threw and smashed a racket after losing the second set tiebreak. Then, after she lost the match, she threw her racket, gave her opponent a quick handshake, grabbed her stuff and stormed off the court. As she was leaving the court, she could be seen yelling something toward the crowd. Novice lip readers are convinced she dropped an F-bomb despite the fact that her hand was in the way when they showed the replay.
— wtay (@wtaclayy) March 9, 2026
The WTA also included parts of the meltdown in its highlights from the match. The initial racket spike comes around the 3:07 mark. Then, when the match ends around 4:10, you can see a priceless reaction from the crowd. Whatever she was saying as she stormed off the court, the reaction of the fan the hat suggests the lip readers might have been correct.
You really can't beat an earnest oh my gosh reaction, especially considering she literally tried to clutch her pearls.
Andreeva beat Aryna Sabalenka at Indian Wells last year when she was 17. In doing so, she won her second career singles title and became the first woman under 18 to defeat the top two players in the world in back-to-back matches since Serena Williams did it in '99 at the U.S. Open.
After that win, she credited LeBron James for inspiring her, and in turn, LeBron congratulated her on social media.
In '25 she made the quarterfinals of the French Open as well as Wimbledon. When she reached the quarterfinals at Wimbledon last year, she had a much more lighthearted moment in victory when she didn't realize she had won.
Siniakova well now face Ukraine's Elina Svitolina in the round of 16.
More on Sports Illustrated
- Men’s Basketball Bracket Watch: Bubble Teams’ Chances Dwindle
- An All-Access Look at UIC’s 20-Hour Sprint Aiming for a NCAA Tournament Bid
- Forde Minutes: Conference Tournament Season Hits Full Swing
- Jayson Tatum’s Return Starts the Celtics’ Championship Clock
- Rory McIlroy Shares Surprising Details From Practice Round at Augusta National
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Mirra Andreeva Smashed and Threw Rackets, Yelled at the Crowd During Indian Wells Upset.
