Russian teenager defeats Chwalinska in straight sets to win the French Open crown.
Image: CNN
PARIS: Mirra Andreeva captured her first Grand Slam title on Saturday, defeating Maja Chwalinska 6-3, 6-2 in the French Open final.
The 19-year-old Russian became the youngest women’s singles champion at Roland Garros since Monica Seles won her third consecutive title in 1992 at the age of 18.
The victory also made Andreeva the first player, male or female, born after 2005 to win a Grand Slam singles title.
The Coupe Suzanne Lenglen is the biggest trophy of Andreeva’s young career, adding to the two WTA 1000 titles she has already won.
For Chwalinska, the defeat ended a remarkable run that began in qualifying. The Polish player won nine matches in Paris and became the first qualifier in the Open Era to reach a French Open final.
Despite the loss, Chwalinska is set to rise from world number 114 to number 21 in the rankings, securing regular entry into the sport’s biggest events.
Chwalinska showed early nerves, double-faulting twice on the opening point of the match. Andreeva eventually broke serve in a lengthy first game.
The Pole responded immediately with a break of her own as both players struggled to settle under windy conditions. Several early service games were traded as momentum swung back and forth.
Chwalinska briefly took control at 3-2, delighting the crowd with a mix of drop shots and precise volleys. However, Andreeva quickly regained her composure.
The Russian began dictating rallies, earning a crucial break before comfortably holding serve. She sealed the opening set with a powerful crosscourt backhand winner.
Andreeva carried that momentum into the second set, breaking early as Chwalinska’s errors increased.
The Pole had chances to recover, but Andreeva showed impressive determination to hold serve and move 3-0 ahead. From there, she remained firmly in control.
Andreeva won the next two games to move within one game of the title. Chwalinska continued to fight, holding serve and later breaking Andreeva when she served for the match.
The resistance was only temporary. Andreeva broke back immediately and sealed victory with a stunning backhand winner.
The teenager dropped to her knees in celebration after securing the biggest triumph of her career so far.
The title also surpassed the best Roland Garros result achieved by her coach, Conchita Martinez, who finished runner-up in Paris in 2000.
