March 5 (Reuters) - Russian teenager Mirra Andreeva said she will go into her Indian Wells title defence without worrying about the potential for dropping ranking points after being swept up in the excitement of being defending champion at last month's tournament in Dubai.
Andreeva toppled world number one Aryna Sabalenka in last year's final in Southern California for back-to-back WTA 1000 titles after her triumph in Dubai, but struggled to find similar form thereafter as she navigated the demands
of her breakthrough season.
The search for consistency continued after the 18-year-old won the Adelaide crown at the start of 2026 before a run to the quarter-finals in Dubai, where she embraced the added scrutiny that comes with past success.
"I was worried about defending points in Dubai since Roland Garros," Andreeva told reporters on Wednesday.
"I was thinking about it a lot, but when I came to Dubai the only thing I felt was the excitement of being there again, feeling new emotions at the tournament as defending champion.
"It was all new to me but I didn't feel the pressure for some reason as I thought I would. And here it's the same thing. I'm just so excited to be here as a defending champion, to see my photos almost everywhere.
"It's just nice to be here again and now I don't feel any pressure defending points."
Andreeva, who also beat Elena Rybakina, Elina Svitolina and Iga Swiatek en route to winning the Indian Wells title, said she is better equipped to handle drop-offs in form.
"I was just struggling to play and use that level in all the tournaments that I played," she added.
"It was a bit on and off, which was a new experience for me. But now if that happens again, I know how to deal with it."
Eighth seed Andreeva has a bye into the second round where she faces either Peyton Stearns or Solana Sierra.
(Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
