The biggest Association of Tennis Professionals masters 1000 has just come to its climax. The finals at Indian Wells played on March 16, 2025 were anything but expected. The four stars on show, Arnya Sabalenka, Mirra Andreeva, Holger Rune and Jack Draper, each had a rocky path to the summit of the tournament.
The women’s final kicked off at 11 a.m. on center court. Fans flooded the stadium in anticipation of a battle between Russian teen prodigy Mirra Andreeva, ranked No.11 before the match, and Belarusian world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka. The match began with Sabalenka asserting her dominance, as she has done for years, teaching the youngster a lesson. Andreeva was unable to win crucial break points and maintain her serve. The first set was comfortably handed to the older three-time Grand Slam winner, 6-2.
Andreeva started the second set with fire, quickly unsettling Sabalenka on her serve. Visible frustration grew in the world’s top player, as she gave up five games in less than 25 minutes. Andreeva dropped a few games late in the set but eventually closed it, 6-4. The third and final set ended in similar fashion to the first: Sabalenka became fatigued, stopping numerous times out of sheer exhaustion under the Palm Springs sunshine. Andreeva ended the match by breaking Sabalenka’s serve, shocking the world as the 17-year-old lifted the 2025 BNP Paribas Indian Wells Women’s Singles trophy.
The stage was set at 2 p.m. for Denmark’s Holger Rune, ranked world No. 13 before the match and Great Britain’s Jack Draper, ranked world No. 14 before the match. Both players overcame the likes of world No. 6 Daniil Medvedev, and world No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz, to reach the pinnacle of this year’s tournament. Notably, all United States domestic tennis stars such as Taylor Fritz, Ben Shelton, Tommy Paul and Frances Tiafoe were humbled relatively early in the tournament and eliminated. A series of victories placed Rune and Draper as finalists in this year’s highly anticipated clash, again on center court.
In the opening set, Draper wasted no time in establishing dominance, breaking Rune’s serve effortlessly and racing ahead to a commanding 6-2 lead. Rune, caught off guard by Draper’s relentless pace and aggressive play, struggled to find his rhythm.
The second set unfolded in the same vein, with Draper continuing to control the flow of the whole 69-minute match, the fastest Indian Wells men’s singles final in a decade. The Englishman’s powerful serves and nasty left-hand groundstrokes left Rune bewildered and on the defensive, unable to mount a serious challenge. He finished the second set in parallel to the first, winning 6-2.
As the final ball sailed long, Draper raised his arms in triumph, delivering a stunning performance that crowned him champion of the 2025 BNP Paribas Indian Wells Men’s Singles.
Both Mirra Andreeva and Jack Draper will celebrate these major international tennis victories, but must immediately look ahead to retain their improved rankings, with the French Open in Paris quickly approaching in May 2025.
