Andreeva Wins French Open Title Against Chwalinska

Russian eighth seed Mirra Andreeva beat Polish qualifier Maja Chwalinska 6-3, 6-2 to win the French Open and capture her maiden Grand Slam title on Saturday. The 19-year-old became the first teenager to win the Roland Garros crown since Poland's Iga Swiatek in 2020.

Andreeva ended the run of 114th-ranked Chwalinska in the Roland Garros final in Paris. With this victory, Andreeva established herself as the youngest player to win the women’s singles title since Monica Seles, who was 18 when she secured her third consecutive French Open title in 1992.

Chwalinska was attempting to become the first qualifier to capture the Roland Garros title. As Andreeva won the match with a backhand cross-court winner on her first match point, she dropped to her knees in celebration on the clay.

In the men's final held the following day, Alexander Zverev was set to play Flavio Cobolli to conclude the tournament. Andreeva has been regarded as a Grand Slam contender since she burst onto the scene as a 15-year-old at the 2023 Madrid Open, where she became the third-youngest player to win a main-draw match at a WTA 1000 tournament and reached the quarter-finals.

Recently, Andreeva had to contend with competing under neutral status, lacking her country’s flag due to the war with Ukraine. In the semifinals, her opponent Marta Kostyuk refused to shake hands with her, aligning with a pattern among Ukrainian players facing Russians since the war began in 2022.

Andreeva’s triumph surpassed that of her coach, Conchita Martinez, who lost in the 2000 French Open final to Mary Pierce, the former champion who was due to present the trophy to Andreeva. The final match was contested under mostly sunny skies, though wind presented a challenge for both players.

Chwalinska, who double-faulted on the opening point, became the first player to hold serve during the fifth game. Despite this, Andreeva managed to adjust and counter Chwalinska’s various spins and drop shots. The crowd at Court Philippe-Chatrier showed strong support for Chwalinska, raising red-and-white Polish flags and chanting her name.

Andreeva received less crowd support, though she heard a shout of “Davai Mirra!” – “Go Mirra” – in Russian as the match neared its conclusion. In men’s doubles, top-seeded Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos retained their title, winning 6-4, 6-2 against Harri Heliovaara and Henry Patten.