Four players – multiple Grand Slam champions Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek, Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz – have threatened to take a stranglehold over tennis in its current era.
However, Indian Wells proved that there is more depth in the wings of the sport.
Mirra Andreeva and Jack Draper overcame tough competition to defy the odds in the Californian desert, winning the women’s and men’s titles respectively. At a combined 41 years and 43 days, they became the youngest winning singles pair at Indian Wells since Lleyton Hewitt and Daniela Hantuchova in 2002.
Andreeva’s triumph put the recordkeepers to work. Adding to her crown in Dubai, the 17-year-old became the youngest player this century and third-youngest overall – behind Monica Seles in 1990 and Martina Hingis in 1997 – to win consecutive WTA 1000 titles.
Like in Dubai, Andreeva had to battle against some of the world’s best to taste success. A demolition of 2022 Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina foreshadowed an even greater achievement – back-to-back wins against the two highest-ranked players in the world.
In defeating second-ranked Swiatek and world No.1 Sabalenka in the semifinals and final, Andreeva became the youngest player since 1990 to achieve the feat at the same tournament.
Her sharp rise can be credited, in part, to her serving dominance this season.
The youngster is attaining first-serve speeds, on average, 19km/h quicker in 2025 than last season, and currently averages 177km/h.
PODCAST: Andreeva's increasing shot speeds discussed on The Tennis
Attention on her serve spiked during her semifinal defeat of Swiatek, during which Andreeva served a 202km/h bullet; the down-the-T ace was one of 95 produced by Andreeva in 2025, this fifth highest ace tally this year on the WTA Tour.
“I had no idea that my serve was this fast. I saw on the screen – I think it was during the tiebreak – I looked at the screen, it was 126 miles. I have no idea what miles are. So I felt like, yeah, probably it's fast,” Andreeva responded.
“This is the fastest serve I have hit so far. Of course, it's nice. I think I have been improving a lot with my serves, so it’s just nice to see a big number.”
Draper, meanwhile, excelled in what would be his coming-of-age tournament. The 23-year-old lifted his maiden Masters 1000 trophy on Sunday, defeating 12th seed Holger Rune in a final that lasted only 69 minutes.
Draper is the second Brit to be crowned champion at Indian Wells, after Cameron Norrie in 2021. The southpaw defeated four top-20 opponents throughout his run – making him the youngest to achieve this feat at a Masters event since Rune in 2022 – including Taylor Fritz and Alcaraz, who have won the past three Indian Wells titles between them.
Draper’s semifinal victory over Alcaraz was a defining moment in his championship run. His three-set win ended the Spaniard’s 16-match winning streak in the Californian desert; Alcaraz had been unbeaten at the tournament since losing the 2022 semifinal.
“Getting inside the top 10, and also to win my first Masters title just adds to my inner belief and my confidence,” Draper said.
“I think definitely to put the level up on the court this week consistently. It's one thing doing it in practice and saying you're going to do it, but to be able to do it on the big stage, that's definitely a big moment for me.”
The men’s singles final between Draper and Rune was the first ATP Masters 1000 or Grand Slam final to feature two players born in the 2000s, signifying a changing of the guard.
While Draper prevailed at Indian Wells, Rune continued his success at Masters 1000 level.
Further cementing his status among the ATP’s top echelon, the Dane advanced to his ninth ATP 1000 quarterfinal and has made the final eight in three of his past four Masters tournaments.
The 21-year-old made some noise at Indian Wells, upstaging two top-10 opponents who had recently regained form.
Rune upset Stefanos Tsitsipas in the fourth round, then in the semifinals ended Daniil Medvedev’s hopes of a third consecutive Indian Wells final.
Rune, the world No.12, credits his reappearance in a Masters final to a mentality improvement.
“I think the thing is that I'm more experienced mentally. I'm stressing less than I was back then. I think I see things a bit more clearly now than I did [two to three years ago],” he said after beating Medvedev.
“I feel like I'm very clear in my mindset. I have to go for it.”