Mirra Andreeva is only 16 but remains as ambitious as ever, which is why an early exit at this year's Indian Wells Open stung so painfully.
Last season, Andreeva emerged as the breakout star on the women's tour despite starting the year playing junior tennis. She made the biggest rankings jump into the WTA Top 100 within a span of 12 months.
Andreeva was nominated for the ITF Class of 2023 after capturing two titles at that level and finishing as runner-up at the 2023 Australian Open girls' singles tournament.
It didn't take long before she made the splash on the senior tour, reaching the third round of the French Open and the fourth round of Wimbledon, both as a qualifier. Andreeva won the WTA Newcomer of the Year award, and deservedly so.
This season, she has been touted to rise even higher. Coming to the Indian Wells Open for her full debut, she was the heavy favorite to beat American wild card Katie Voylnets. But tennis matches are not won on paper.
Andreeva's season has been a stop-start. After impressing at the 2024 Australian Open, where she earned a stunning win over her idol Ons Jabeur, she only played one tournament after that before heading to Indian Wells.
That is because of the current rules in place, which restrict her from playing more than 12 events because of her age. Nonetheless, she was sharp and appeared on her way to bagging the first set on Wednesday against 22-year-old Californian Volynets.
The Russian youngster served for the first set at 5-4 up but lost three straight games to concede the set. Twice in the second set, she led by a break but could not consolidate her advantage.
Andreeva then manufactured four set points on Volynets' serve at 5-3 in the second set, but the American saved them all. She had the chance to force a decider on her own serve, but in a carbon copy of the first set, Andreeva lost three games in a row and the match.
After shaking hands with the winner, the talented 16-year-old burst into tears while sitting on her chair, clearly dejected. But she will undoubtedly come back stronger and use this experience as a learning point for her next tournament.