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Russian teenager Mirra Andreeva reached her first Grand Slam final on Thursday by defeating Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk 6-1, 6-3 at the French Open.
Andreeva, 19, sealed the match on her first match point while serving. There was no handshake after the match, as Kostyuk quickly left the court, turning only to wave and blow kisses to the crowd at Court Philippe-Chatrier, where some fans displayed 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.”
The atmosphere before the match was tense. The players took separate photo sessions on their sides of the net with two children each, deviating from the usual joint photo by the net.
Kostyuk and fellow Ukrainian Oleksandra Oliynykova have voiced their thoughts during the tournament about how Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is affecting their country.
Andreeva will face Poland’s Maja Chwalinska in the final. Chwalinska defeated Russia’s Diana Shnaider in the semifinals and reached the final after advancing through three qualifying rounds. She had never progressed past the second round at a major before.
In the match, Andreeva saved three break points at 0-40 in her opening service game and quickly built a 4-0 lead with powerful forehand winners. Kostyuk held serve in the fifth game to a big cheer but then gave up the first set on an errant backhand that hit the net.
The match began just after 3 p.m. under sunny skies with the roof open, similar to Wednesday when players Aryna Sabalenka and Anna Kalinskaya complained about swirling wind and suggested closing the roof.
The roof was shut late in the second set of Thursday’s semifinal, improving conditions for Kostyuk’s clay-court style. She broke back to trail 4-3, stirring loud chants of “Marta, Marta” from the crowd.
But Kostyuk lost her next service game and the comeback ended quickly, snapping her 16-match winning streak on clay.
“Obviously, she has had an amazing season. Until this match, she has not lost a match on clay,” Andreeva said. “She is an amazing player and a very tough opponent.”
In mixed doubles action, Canada’s Gabriela Dabrowski and her U.S. partner Evan King fell in the final, losing to Italians Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori. Dabrowski and King won the first set 6-4 but lost the next two 3-6, 4-10 in the match tiebreak.
Errani and Vavassori dominated the deciding tiebreak and became the first team to defend the French Open mixed doubles title since Ivan Dodig and Latisha Chan in 2018 and 2019.
Dabrowski and King’s defeat marks another highlight for Errani and Vavassori, who have won four mixed doubles titles in the last seven Grand Slams, including consecutive U.S. Open titles in 2024 and 2025.
Dabrowski, from Ottawa, will return to action in the women’s doubles semifinal on Friday with partner Luisa Stefani of Brazil. They will face Kateřina Siniaková of Czechia and Taylor Townsend of the United States for a spot in the final.
Information compiled from CBC Sports and Reuters.