Mirra Andreeva created a blueprint for defeating Aryna Sabalenka. The response comes in Miami

Aryna Sabalenka went into Indian Wells on a revenge tour. She had lost in her three previous tournaments, the most painful blow for the No. 1-ranked woman delivered by Madison Keys in the Australian Open final.

When Sabalenka took down Keys in the semifinals in the California desert last week, surrendering just one game, she allowed, “I needed this revenge badly.”

But the revenge tour will go on. Sabalenka ramps up for the Miami Open after having lost another significant final much like that last one, in heartbreaking fashion. She was beaten in three sets by 17-year old sensation Mirra Andreeva. Perhaps it never occurred to Sabalenka that Andreeva also had reasons to seek revenge.

The Belarusian had beaten Andreeva in Brisbane earlier in the year, 6-3, 6-2, then crushed her in the fourth round of the AO, 6-1, 6-2. To make matters worse for Andreeva, she had failed to break Sabalenka even once, despite having earned 11 break points in those two matches.

In this third meeting, Sabalenka came out heavy, bolting to an early 6-2 lead over her nervous challenger. Andreeva was clearly frustrated and petulant as, well, as a buffaloed 17-year old. Sabalenka was rolling through her as only Sabalenka can: belting warp-speed forehands, ground-shaking serves, and giving voice to her efforts with shrieks and prodigious grunts. By the third game of the second set, seven more break chances had slipped through Andreeva’s hands.

And then it all changed—in a way that Sabalenka will remember as she preps for Miami.

I tried to create something to make her uncomfortable and point-by-point, game-by-game, I managed to do that. Mirra Andreeva on Aryna Sabalenka

Sabalenka is the game’s heavyweight puncher, but in Andreeva she was up against a player who is more like Muhammad Ali. It all began to go sideways when Andreeva, regaining the composure that has been so vital to her blossoming success, buckled down and played more aggressive, creative tennis.

The dam finally broke in the third game of the second set, when Andreeva finally converted a break point to punch through. The spell broken, Andreeva’s confidence increased. She jerked Sabalenka all over the court. When she wasn’t doing that she was drilling sharp serves or attacking Sabalenka’s serve. Andreeva created a blueprint for mastering Sabalenka, and you can bet many coaches and players will study it.

Andreeva said after the match that she had been nervous the entire time, but she also realized after the first set that she needed to change her game plan. The subsequent strategy wasn’t exactly a reprisal of Ali’s famous rope-a-dope, but it was clear that instead of trying to go around Sabalenka, Andreeva tried to go through her.

“In the second set,” Andreeva said after the match, “I tried to play a little bit more aggressive. I didn't try to overhit her, because I don't think anyone can overhit Aryna. She's a super-powerful player. I tried to create something to make her uncomfortable and point-by-point, game-by-game, I managed to do that.”

Note the emphasis Andreeva put on the incremental nature of her success. It was reminiscent of Arthur Ashe’s famous remark about how John McEnroe didn’t kill you with the mighty swing of a broadsword, he just inflicted cuts and nicks—and pretty soon you bled to death.

Andreeva won the second set 6-4, and promptly broke Sabalenka to start the third. In the next game, a stroke of good fortune off a mishit eventually led to a Sabalenka break. It was the sort of weird point that can create a complete change of momentum for a player of Sabalenka’s character. Significantly, it did not happen.

Sabalenka was unable to sustain the energy required to contain Andreeva. By that point Sabalenka was clearly fatigued, huffing and puffing, falling back off her shots, losing control of her body as she reacted to aggressive shots. Andreeva pulled her north and south, east and west, or sent her galloping into and out of corners to retrieve flat, powerful shots. It just plain wore out Sabalenka.

“Honestly, it was me against me,” Sabalenka told reporters after the match. “I made a lot of unforced errors on important points, and I just let her play a little bit better. At the beginning, everything was going quite straightforward, and then I just made a couple mistakes. She kind of believed in herself. After that, I started playing much worse, and I was just trying to find my rhythm but it didn't work this time.”

Sabalenka’s prideful take was understandable, but unconvincing. While her use of the word “straightforward” was accurate, the eyes told you she was punched out, unable to sustain her slugger’s approach enough to overpower Andreeva. The challenger’s mastery of the entire stroking repertoire was breathtaking.

Sabalenka moved on to Miami with questions to ask of herself. She’s never been past the quarterfinals in Miami, with a career record at the tournament of 8-6. Then there was Andreeva, and the blueprint that caused Sabalenka’s game and fitness to unravel.

Perhaps Sabalenka should watch that “Rumble in the Jungle” heavyweight championship fight between Joe Frazier and Muhammad Ali before returning to her now-extended revenge tour.