Back in Indian Wells, world No. 2, Iga Swiatek, was barely able to keep up with her semifinal opponent. With down-the-line backhands coming her way and long rallies where she often got impatient and sent forehands wide and backhands into the net, her temper flared. Soon, she was swatting balls in anger and snapping at her coaches. Interestingly, the person on the other side of the court was the 18-year-old Russian tennis prodigy, Mirra Andreeva, one better known for letting her emotions take over. Although Conchita Martinez helped her stay cool and collected in such conditions, her recent slump and the Asian swing are getting on her nerves.

After getting a first-round bye, Andreeva began her Wuhan Open campaign on Tuesday with a tense clash against Laura Siegemund. The World No. 5 came out swinging, stealing the opening set 7–6(4), thanks to her fearless forehand and steady second-serve numbers. A few double faults crept in, but her aggression carried her through. But Siegemund, ranked No. 57, refused to back down.

She shifted gears, breaking Andreeva’s serve four times to take the second set 6–3. In the decider, the German stayed composed while Andreeva’s serve faltered again. Things got awkward midway when cameras caught Andreeva waving off a cameraman during a changeover, clearly frustrated. One fan even posted the clip on X, writing, “Mirra Andreeva saying she doesn’t want to be filmed after losing her serving game 😔” — yikes.

From there, emotions ran wild. Frustration boiled over as the teen wiped away tears between games, unable to hide her disappointment as her serve collapsed. After yet another double fault in the fifth game of the second set, she exploded in Russian, yelling, “F**** sick this f** tennis.” It was raw, real, and painful to watch — a reminder that her passion can sometimes overflow under pressure.

Despite giving her all, the Russian Rabbit couldn’t grab a win, falling 7–6, 3–6, 3–6. After three hours and one minute, she finished with 15 double faults, eight breaks of serve, and just 40% of second-serve points won as compared to Siegemund’s 57%. The German edged her 119–109 in total points.

However, Andreeva’s slump is becoming a pattern now. She has won only four of her last seven matches. In her last tournament played in Beijing, the Russian was upset by Sonay Kartal in the round-of-16. However, it is worth noting that in her third season on the WTA Tour, she has already reached two Grand Slam quarterfinals and won three career titles. All that is left is trying to keep the fire on the court and not off it because this wasn’t her first meltdown either.

Remember the 2023 Roland Garros against Coco Gauff? Back then, the 16-year-old hit a ball into the crowd and nearly got defaulted. A similar flare-up occurred this year at Indian Wells against Aryna Sabalenka in the finals, whom the Russian defeated for her second title of the season.

Still, Andreeva has been putting in the work. It’s progress — and even now, the young star is taking real steps to grow.

Mirra Andreeva talks about what she’s learned working with her psychologist

Back at the Indian Wells Open, a 17-year-old Mirra proudly admitted, “Yes. I’ve been working with a sports psychologist,” explaining that her agent helped her make the connection. That partnership has clearly paid off. It played a key role in her stunning win over the world No. 2 in Dubai earlier this year. As Mirra revealed, their work actually began during the Australian Open in January, the foundation for everything that followed.

Ten months into the 2025 season, the now 18-year-old reflected on how far she’s come. “You cannot win every match that you play. You cannot win every tournament that you play,” she shared this week in Wuhan. “Sometimes when you’re super close to win the match, it hurts a little bit more… It’s just life. It’s just how tennis works. And with time, I learned how to kind of accept it and move on from tough losses.”

Mirra Andreeva’s results this season back up that growth. After a breakout 2024 that saw her lift her first WTA trophy in Iasi, she opened 2025 by winning back-to-back WTA 1000 titles in Dubai and Indian Wells just before turning 18. Those victories rocketed her into the top 10 for the first time, and she’s since made quarterfinal runs at both Roland Garros and Wimbledon. Still, the ambitious world No. 5 knows she wants more. After those early triumphs, she openly admitted that her eyes are set on claiming her first Grand Slam.

Andreeva is much more open, both with her psychologist and coach Conchita Martinez, and that transparency has made all the difference. With her Wuhan campaign now over, she’ll rely on her team to regroup and recharge. The next challenge is already calling, and knowing Andreeva, she won’t take long to answer it. What do you think? Is her next big title just around the corner?