Teenager Andreeva beats Kostyuk to reach final
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 the fourth-youngest woman to reach the Roland Garros showpiece in the past 30 years, after Martina Hingis, Kim Clijsters and Coco Gauff.
Should she prevail, Andreeva would become the third-youngest first-time Grand Slam champion this century, after Maria Sharapova and Emma Raducanu.fg
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 pose for a pre-match photo with Andreeva, and the players did not shake hands afterwards.
Andreeva is only at the start of her career, and this victory means she is the first player born since 2005 to reach a major singles final.
However, she has long been tipped for Grand Slam success, with this her second semi-final appearance at Roland Garros after a loss in 2024.
Kostyuk is the in-form player on the WTA Tour, boasting an unrivalled 17-match unbeaten streak on the clay this season.
But no player has amassed more wins on clay (21), or indeed overall (35), than Andreeva in 2026.
Following the shock exit of world number one Aryna Sabalenka on Wednesday, eighth seed Andreeva will believe this is her time after overcoming an opponent who had beaten her in both their previous meetings this year.
Despite the blustery conditions, Andreeva was solid from the baseline and stubborn in defence, committing far fewer unforced errors (22) than her opponent (34), who was unable to hit the heights of her emotional all-Ukrainian quarter-final against Elina Svitolina.
Having dropped only one set, in her comeback second-round win against Spaniard Marina Bassols Ribera, across her six victories so far, the nature of this performance means Andreeva will walk out as the favourite on Saturday.-BBC
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