At just 19 years old, budding Russian star Mirra Andreeva has reached her first Grand Slam final.
Andreeva cruised through her semifinal matchup with Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk on Thursday at Roland Garros in Paris, winning 6-1, 6-3 to secure her spot in the final against Polish qualifier Maja Chwalińska.
She converted her first match point serving for the spot in the final.
With the win, Andreeva became the first woman to beat Kostyuk on clay this season. It was her first time beating Kostyuk at all, having lost their previous two meetings, including the Madrid Open final in early May.
Andreeva said she was glad to secure her first win against Kostyuk.
“I’m happy that I got revenge from [the] Madrid final,” Andreeva said with a smile after the win.
Andreeva is the youngest woman to reach a Grand Slam final in four years since Coco Gauff reached the final at Roland-Garros at 18 years old in 2022.
Andreeva cited her intense focus as one of the biggest factors in the win.
“I was seeing the little hairs on the ball when I was tossing or playing (shots),” Andreeva said in her post-match press conference. “I was really, really focused today.”
Andreeva appears at home playing on the clay courts of Paris.
“I really like to walk around the city, to go into those little restaurants on the street,” she said. “I also speak a little bit of French, so I try to sometimes talk to people in French.”
But the job isn’t yet finished. Andreeva and Chwalińska will face off in the French Open final on Saturday at Philippe-Chatrier.
“I just told myself no matter what happens, I am going to fight and give my best,” Andreeva said.
“With this kind of mindset, I ended up winning.”
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: nypost.com
