Andreeva crushes Kostyuk to reach first Grand Slam final
Mirra Andreeva beat Marta Kostyuk 6-1, 6-3 to make her first Grand Slam final, where Polish qualifier Maja Chwalinska awaits in Paris on June 6.
- Mirra Andreeva beat Marta Kostyuk 6-1, 6-3 to reach her first career Grand Slam final.
- In the other semifinal, Polish qualifier Maja Chwalinska beat Diana Shnaider 7-6, 6-3.
- Shnaider had knocked out world number one Sabalenka in the quarterfinals.
- The women's singles final is on June 6, Andreeva against Chwalinska.
A little past the middle of the first set, the whole of Court Philippe-Chatrier already sensed the match had tilted. Mirra Andreeva struck the ball so cleanly and so calmly in the Roland Garros semifinal that Marta Kostyuk was hunting for an exit that did not exist after only a few games. The clay was slow, but the young Russian’s hand was quick.
The end came at 6-1, 6-3, and with it the first Grand Slam final of her career. What had until recently been a promise is now reality on the biggest stage of all, on Sunday, June 6, on the Paris clay.
How did Andreeva break Kostyuk down?
The tempo was set immediately. Andreeva broke as early as the second game and earned the room to dictate. Kostyuk tried to climb back, hit back with a break for 4-3, and briefly restored the suspense. But Andreeva refused to let the set slip away. She broke straight back, settled the rally, and closed out the opener without further drama.
The second set started even more convincingly. The young Russian raced to 3-0 and the match looked over. Then the roof over the court was closed, the rhythm shifted for a moment, and Kostyuk used the pause to grab a break. It was the only real moment the Ukrainian could breathe. Andreeva regained control and saw the job home.
- First set: a break in game two, then a re-break after Kostyuk leveled at 4-3
- Second set: a 3-0 lead, a Kostyuk break after the roof closed, then the close-out
- Overall: a comfortable 6-1, 6-3 and a place in her first Grand Slam final
Andreeva said afterward that she had dreamed of a day like this since she first picked up a racket, and that she was meeting the final without fear.
Who is the opponent in the final?
The second semifinal delivered the kind of surprise only Roland Garros can stage. Polish qualifier Maja Chwalinska beat Diana Shnaider 7-6, 6-3 to reach her first Grand Slam final straight out of qualifying. That path through a main draw rarely closes like this, but Chwalinska played a fortnight to remember.
Shnaider had arrived in Paris as one of the hottest stories. In the quarterfinals she knocked out world number one Sabalenka, and she looked to be carrying that momentum to the end. Against Chwalinska, though, the first-set tiebreak decided the whole match.
So the women’s singles final on June 6 brings together two players who had never contested a Grand Slam title match before this tournament. One arrived as a rising favorite, the other from qualifying. Youth against the upset, a calm tennis classic against a fairy tale.
Will Andreeva use her role as favorite, or will Chwalinska surprise us one more time?
