By Kayla Mitchell

Every year, top tennis professionals travel to the California desert to compete in the BNP Paribas Open. As of last Sunday, the sun has set on another tournament in tennis paradise, and the tournament was not lacking any excitement. Young stars earned themselves new fame, top players left injured, and some tennis favorites received backlash from their fans. Many surprising results and amazing upsets made the 2025 BNP Paribas Open a tournament to remember.

The biggest upset of the tournament was the title-winning 17-year-old Mirra Andreeva. Currently ranked No. 9 in the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) rankings, Andreeva took the tournament by storm, knocking out world No.1 Aryna Sabalenka and No. 2 Iga Swiatek on the way to earning her title. The young star made history, becoming the youngest champion to win the tournament since Serena Williams. She also became the third player in this century to earn a ten-match win streak before turning 21. By far the most impressive accomplishment was claiming a place alongside legends Steffi Graf and Serena Williams as one of the three players below the age of 18 to defeat the world No. 1 and No. 2 on the way to a title.  

Britain’s 23-year-old Jack Draper fought his way through a tough draw to claim the BNP Paribas trophy. Draper’s eye-opening victory against world No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz shot him into the finals and gained him a lot of attention from tennis fans. In the finals of the tournament, Draper had an amazing showing, defeating world No. 12 Holger Rune 6-2, 6-2. Draper went into the tournament at No. 13 in the ATP rankings, but after his success at BNP moved up to world No. 7. Now at the highest ranking in his entire career, the British star is hoping to continue his momentum into the French Open in May.   

Top tennis stars Novak Djokovic and Iga Swiatek did not present their top level at the Paribas Open this year. Djokovic made his 16th appearance at the tournament since his debut as a teenager in 2006. The previous world No. 1 lost the second round in a tough 3-set match against Botic van de Zandschulp. WTA No. 2 Iga Swiatek’s poor behavior overshadowed her brilliant run to the semifinals of the singles draw. During recent tournaments, fans have noticed multiple unsportsmanlike acts by the professional. A clip of Swiatek hitting a ball at an innocent ball boy and getting booed during her semifinal match against Andreeva has spread all over the internet. While her performance on the court was at her usual high level, the Paribas Open viewers were not pleased with Swaitek’s abuse of the ball kid and the mental tactics used against her opponents. 

The 2025 BNP Paribas Open was an exciting start to the tennis season and proof that new stars are making their way onto the tennis landscape. Since departing from tennis paradise, the ATP and WTA players are ramping up their in-season training to prepare for the next big tournament.

(Sources: BNP Paribas Open)