"The Aryna Sabalenka shade" - Fans react to Mirra Andreeva mistakenly referring to Iga Swiatek as World No. 1

Mirra Andreeva recently made the mistake of calling Iga Swiatek the World No. 1. In reality though, Swiatek is the WTA No. 2 right now, while Aryna Sabalenka is the top-ranked women's singles tennis player. Andreeva's error prompted several tennis fans to deliver a myriad of reactions.

17-year-old Andreeva, while giving a behind-the-scenes interview at the ongoing 2025 Madrid Open, spoke up about a chat she had with WTA colleague and fellow teenager Alexandra Eala at this year's Miami Open. According to Andreeva, the chat happened ahead of Eala's quarterfinal clash in Miami against Swiatek, which the Filipino remarkably won. As she was speaking in Madrid, Andreeva mistakenly referred to the Pole as the "No. 1 in the world".

"We (Andreeva and Eala) had a little chit-chat in Miami, in the locker room before she was playing Iga. She was like, "How did you beat her twice in a row?" (2025 Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships quarterfinals and Indian Wells semifinals) So we just talked. I don't know if I helped, but I tried to just say something," Mirra Andreeva said.

"Of course, Iga is an amazing player, No. 1 in the world, so we just talked a little bit about how I played and how successful she was in the tournament. So, I don't know. We talked like five minutes," she added.

Many tennis fans on X (formerly Twitter) reacted to Mirra Andreeva's error. While some poked fun at the Russian, there were others who playfully suggested that the mistake was actually Andreeva throwing shade at reigning No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka. There were some Iga Swiatek fans as well, who opined that the Pole continues to be regarded as the top WTA player due to her on-court prowess.

"The Sabalenka shadeeeeee😭," a fan wrote.

"Aryna with them adoption papers after seeing this:," commented another fan, followed by a hilarious GIF.

""Iga is amazing she's number 1 in the world"???? Hmmm Mirra I'm gonna need you to refresh WTA website," another fan chimed in.

"So she not only terrifies the WTA but teaches others how to do it???" one fan asked.

"Get her to talk to Elena (Rybakina) asap! That tall giant needs tips and advice on how to manage a career!" added another.

""She is no 1 in the world" Mirra knows the true goat 💅🏻," one opined.

"So some players still think Iga is no 1 player in the world oh igoatek's aura is insane i know that's right," weighed in yet another fan.

Interestingly, Andreeva defeated both Swiatek and Sabalenka on her way to the 2025 BNP Paribas Open title in Indian Wells.

Mirra Andreeva came out on top against Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka at BNP Paribas Open 2025 to register Indian Wells title triumph

Mirra Andreeva poses with the 2025 BNP Paribas Open women's singles trophy (Source: Getty)

Mirra Andreeva arrived in Indian Wells for the 2025 BNP Paribas Open on the back of her title-winning run at this year's Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships. In the Californian desert, the 17-year-old set up a semifinal showdown against Iga Swiatek. Interestingly, Andreeva had defeated the Pole in straight sets in the quarterfinals in Dubai.

The Russian faced a much tougher fight from Swiatek in the Indian Wells semifinals though. However, the youngster ultimately edged the former No. 1 and sealed her spot in the final of the prestigious WTA 1000 event, where she locked horns with Aryna Sabalenka.

Andreeva got off to a disastrous start against the Belarusian, losing the first set 2-6. She didn't throw in the towel though, and eventually turned the tables on Sabalenka, winning the second and third sets 6-4 and 6-3 respectively.