Russian teenager Mirra Andreeva reached her first Grand Slam final by beating Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine 6-1, 6-3 at the French Open on Thursday.
Andreeva, 19, converted her first match point when serving for the match. There was no postmatch handshake between the two players on Court Philippe Chatrier, where some fans were draped in Ukrainian flags.
“I am happy that I am in my first-ever Grand Slam final. All of these feelings combined, it is amazing,” Andreeva said. “I just told myself, no matter what happens, I am going to fight and give my best. With this kind of mindset, I ended up winning.”
Andreeva’s opponent in the final will be Poland’s Maja Chwalinska, who became just the second qualifier to reach a Grand Slam singles final in the Open era when she beat Diana Shnaider of Russia 7-6 (4), 6-4 in Thursday’s later semifinal.
Chwalinska, 24, has a chance to match Emma Raducanu’s title run at the 2021 US Open. According to stats provider Opta, Chwalinska and Raducanu stand alone in having reached a major singles men’s or women’s final from the qualifying rounds since the Open era began in 1968.
Andreeva opened as a -482 favorite over Chwalinska (+355) to win the French Open, according to DraftKings odds.
Fully focused
Andreeva said she could see even the smallest details on the ball.
“I was seeing the little hairs on the ball when I was tossing or playing [shots],” Andreeva said. “I was really, really focused today.”
Andreeva, who is seeded No. 8 and lost in the semifinals two years ago, clearly feels comfortable at the French Open, which she describes as a “cozy” tournament because she sees familiar faces every year, and enjoys her time in Paris.
“I really like to walk around the city, to go into those little restaurants on the street,” she said. “I also speak a little bit of French, so I try to sometimes talk to people in French.”
Tensions on the court
There was no postmatch handshake between Andreeva and Kostyuk — and the Ukrainian walked off quickly, turning only to wave and blow kisses to the crowd.
The atmosphere beforehand was somewhat tense as the players had separate photos taken as they each stood next to two children on their respective side of the net. Usually the players pose standing right next to each other by the net for a single photo.
Kostyuk and countrywoman Oleksandra Oliynykova have spoken out during the tournament about the impact Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is having on their country.
No. 15-seeded Kostyuk said defeat won’t linger given how much support she felt from fans during her matches in Paris.
“I will never forget the ovations I received after my match in quarterfinals. This is something I will carry with me forever,” she said. “I feel like this is the highlight of my tournament.”
Andreeva saved three break points at 0-40 in her opening service game, then raced into a 4-0 lead with a flurry of blistering forehand winners. There was a big cheer when Kostyuk held serve in the fifth game, but the Ukrainian then handed Andreeva the first set when her backhand hit the net.
Roof open and then closed
The semifinal began at shortly after 3 p.m. with an open roof, like on Wednesday when beaten quarterfinalists Aryna Sabalenka and Anna Kalinskaya complained of swirling wind on Chatrier and said the roof should have been closed.
It was closed toward the end of the second set of Thursday’s semifinal, offering Kostyuk better conditions for her clay-court game. She broke back to trail 4-3 but dropped her next service game, and the comeback ended almost as quickly as it began, along with Kostyuk’s 16-match winning streak on clay.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
