The teenage dream continues in Paris for Mirra Andreeva, who declared, “I’ve never felt anything like this before.”
The starry-eyed 19-year-old put in a near perfect performance to storm into her first Grand Slam final on Court Philippe-Chatrier.
World No.8 snaps Ukrainian's 17-match winning streak 6-1, 6-3
The teenage dream continues in Paris for Mirra Andreeva, who declared, “I’ve never felt anything like this before.”
The starry-eyed 19-year-old put in a near perfect performance to storm into her first Grand Slam final on Court Philippe-Chatrier.
Andreeva dismissed No.15 seed Marta Kostyuk 6-1, 6-3 to become the youngest women’s singles Grand Slam finalist since Coco Gauff at Roland Garros 2022.
The stats pointed towards a Kostyuk triumph. Last month, the Ukrainian posted a 6-3, 7-5 scoreline over Andreeva in the Madrid final. On top of that, Kostyuk held an impeccable 17-0 clay-court record this season.
However, Andreeva, the WTA Tour leader with 35 victories this year, flourished as the frontrunner and will now face Polish qualifier Maja Chwalinska in the final.
“I’m just super happy with the way I played today," the world No.8 said. "Then I’m happy I got revenge from the Madrid final, then I’m happy as well that I’m in my first Grand Slam final. All of these feelings have combined.
“I was very nervous coming into this match. Obviously, she’s had an amazing season. Until this match, she hadn’t lost a match on clay. That brought a lot of pressure. She’s an amazing player, very tough opponent. I’m very excited about the last match in Paris.
Mirra Andreeva
“The conditions were really tough today," she added. "I couldn’t understand which direction the wind was going, but I’m just happy I was able to stay focused. I told myself to accept anything that happens on the court today and today was one of those days where anything could happen.
“I had to fight, give my best and if she was going to win she was going to have to really work for it and fight like me.”
Andreeva was in the groove from the very start. A defensive forehand lob on the run, into a side-spinning drop shot, then a looping backhand lob were the ingredients for a mesmerising point that propelled the teenager into a 3-0 lead.
Kostyuk was given very little to work with and couldn’t quite find her range. Andreeva was the dominant force, chalking up five break points at 4-0 until the Ukrainian escaped with a game on the scoreboard after 25 one-sided minutes.
Andreeva’s passing shots were arrowed down the lines with ease, there was no hesitation, it was relentless hitting.
The world No.15 angled the play to force Andreeva out wide on the left where she managed to launch the ball over the net post and down the line into the corner. It was a moment of Mirra magic to spark a 2-0 second set advantage.
Andreeva’s coach Conchita Martinez, the RG 2000 runner-up, knew it was a significant strike and pointed her index finger to her right temple, prompting her charge to maintain her focus into the finishing straight.
Even when Kostyuk prevailed in an energy-sapping 26-shot rally to help reduce her deficit from 4-1 to 4-3, Andreeva remained far too composed to let her dream dissolve.
Andreeva and former world No.2 Martinez have been a successful duo since joining forces in April 2024. Their approach to Saturday’s silverware showdown will be a case of copy and paste.
“I don’t think I’m going to ask a lot of questions," Andreeva said looking to her coach in the stands. "Do we agree we keep it the same and not change anything?”
“We’re going to prepare our best for the final. Depending on who I play it’s going to be very entertaining, very tough. I’m very nervous, but at the same time very excited.”