CHASING SUNSHINE : Andreeva blocks off noise ahead of Miami Open

MIAMI (AFP) — Teenage starlet Mirra Andreeva said she is staying off social media and ignoring the hype after her triumph at Indian Wells on Sunday.

The 17-year-old Russian beat world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka to win the WTA 1000 title in California to confirm her status as the rising star in the sport.

But in the near non-stop world of the WTA Tour, Andreeva has had little time to savor her second WTA 1000 level success, flying to Miami on Monday for another title to complete her “Sunshine Double” for this week’s tournament.

“I’ve had a great tournament and I’m still excited about the win. It was a great, great match in the final and I’m super happy about the win. And now, unfortunately, I have to focus on Miami and I’m going to try my best to win as many matches here,” she said.

Andreeva was quick to assure local media that despite the quick turnaround she was looking forward to taking on another strong field in the Miami Open.

“Of course, I’m super excited and super pumped to be playing this tournament for the first time,” she said.

The quick turnaround means, however, that Andreeva hasn’t had time to scroll too many messages or take in the excitement her win generated among tennis fans.

“I would say that I just kind of stay off social media. So, I don’t really see anything or see what people are talking about,” she said.

“I don’t know if they talk a lot or not. So, but sometimes when it happens and I see that I receive a lot of messages or comments, you know, I just have a great team around me and they help to kind of turn it off and just spend some quality time with them.”

“And if I have, I don’t know, any pressure or doubts in myself, I just talk. And if they help me, most of the time they do,” she added.

But while Andreeva’s calmness on and off the court is one of her most impressive qualities, she concedes that her rapid rise to number six in the world still has her heart pumping.

“I feel more... adrenaline still and also a little bit, not surprised but I still kind of can’t believe that it happened so fast,” she said.

“It was of course one of my dreams and now that it has already happened of course I feel like you know what am I supposed to do now? I know, of course, they’re the same goals — to win more tournaments and you know to be one of the top players but now I also realize that I’m number six in the rankings and you know it’s actually not too bad,” she said.