Hot mics, Andreeva ‘diva’ drama and a stopgap finale at Indian Wells bail out the WTA | Tumaini Carayol

Finals have hit California desert after stormy few years and pre-tournament kerfuffle has added to the fun

Towards the end of a positive day for Mirra Andreeva, one of the brightest young stars of women’s tennis, the 19-year-old approached the broadcast cameras to dissect her excellent 6-4, 6-0 win over Elina Svitolina in her first match at this year’s WTA Finals. Andreeva took her place alongside Madison Keys, the 2025 Australian Open champion and a guest reporter for Sky Sports at Indian Wells, who greeted her with a mischievous smile: “Hey, diva!” Keys said.

This was an obvious reference to the kerfuffle on the eve of the tournament, when Jessica Pegula, usually known as one of the most congenial players on the tour, had been caught on a hot mic…