Mirra Andreeva is through to her first Grand Slam final. The 19-year-old Russian, seeded eighth, overpowered Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk 6-1, 6-3 on Court Philippe-Chatrier on Thursday to reach Saturday’s Roland Garros showpiece, two years after she first broke through to the semifinals here as a 17-year-old.
There was little drama in the tennis itself. Andreeva claimed the opening set in roughly half an hour, dictating from the baseline and giving Kostyuk almost nothing to work with. The 15th seed, who had not lost a match on clay all season, struggled to find her range against an opponent reading the rallies a beat ahead. Andreeva served out the second set on her first match point to seal a place she has been building toward all year.
No handshake — The match carried a charge beyond the result. Andreeva and Kostyuk did not shake hands at the net afterward, and the pre-match formalities were noticeably tense, the players posing for separate photographs alongside children on their respective sides of the net rather than standing together as is customary. Kostyuk, a vocal supporter of Ukraine since Russia’s 2022 invasion, left the court quickly at the end, turning to wave and blow kisses to a crowd that included fans draped in Ukrainian flags. Asked earlier in the tournament about facing a Ukrainian opponent, Andreeva said she tried to focus only on the ball coming toward her and on her own game plan.
A breakthrough run ends — For Kostyuk, the defeat closed an extraordinary fortnight. She had arrived at the semifinals on a 17-match winning streak on clay and as the first Ukrainian woman to reach the last four at Roland Garros in the Open era, having come through an emotional all-Ukrainian quarterfinal against Elina Svitolina. The run lifted her to a career-high ranking in the best season of her career, one that already included a win over Andreeva in the Madrid final this spring. On Thursday, though, the momentum belonged entirely to the younger player.
Andreeva’s moment — The win caps a clay season that has steadily announced Andreeva as a genuine contender. She opened the year with the title in Linz, reached the semifinals in Stuttgart and the final in Madrid, and arrived in Paris in the form that carried her to the 2024 semifinals. Here she has barely been troubled, conceding just one set on her way to the final and dispatching Sorana Cirstea 6-0, 6-3 in the quarterfinals. The teenager who reached the last four two years ago now has the chance to win the tournament outright.
Awaiting an opponent — Andreeva’s place in the final was sealed before her opponent was known. The other semifinal, between Russia’s Diana Shnaider and Polish qualifier Maja Chwalinska, was scheduled to follow on the same court. Shnaider, the 25th seed, reached the last four with a stunning comeback win over world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, while Chwalinska has gone from qualifying to within one match of the final. Whoever emerges, the final will crown a first-time Grand Slam champion in a women’s draw blown wide open by early exits.
For Andreeva, the path is the same regardless of the name across the net on Saturday. Two years after she first arrived among the sport’s elite, she has her chance to leave Paris with the trophy.
