Russian teenager Mirra Andreeva reached her first Grand Slam final with a dominant victory over Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk at the French Open.
A beaten semi-finalist in 2024, Andreeva was hugely impressive throughout her 6-1 6-3 victory and will await compatriot Diana Shnaider, the 25th seed, or Polish qualifier Maja Chwalinska in Saturday’s final.
The 19-year-old is third-youngest woman to reach the Roland Garros showpiece this century, after an 18-year-old Coco Gauff in 2022 and 17-year-old Kim Clijsters in 2001.
Should she prevail, Andreeva would become the third-youngest first-time Grand Slam champion this century, after Maria Sharapova and Emma Raducanu.
“I am still very, very nervous. I was nervous coming into this match,” Andreeva said.
“All of these feelings combined, it is amazing – I have never felt anything like this before.”
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine provided an unavoidable backdrop to the contest, with Kostyuk regularly denouncing the war since it began in February 2022 – and being highly critical of athletes from Russia who have failed to do so.
In keeping with the stance taken by Ukrainian players over the past four years, Kostyuk did not take a pre-match photo with Andreeva, and the players did not shake hands afterwards.
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