PARIS: Mirra Andreeva announced herself as the newest member of women’s tennis’ elite ranks on Saturday when she defeated surprise finalist Maja Chwalinska 6-3 6-2 to become the youngest French Open champion in more than three decades.
Long considered one of the sport’s greatest players, the 19-year-old Russian fulfilled her promise on the biggest stage of them all, claiming a first Grand Slam title and joining the select group of active major champions led by the likes of Iga Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff.
In doing so, Andreeva became the youngest women’s singles champion at Roland Garros since Monica Seles won her third straight title in Paris in 1992, a milestone that underlined the Russian’s precocious talent and the magnitude of her achievements.
While Chwalinska’s remarkable qualifying performance captured the imagination and attracted plaudits from the sport’s greats over the past fortnight, the final belonged to a player who looks increasingly better equipped to shape the future of the sport.
As the 24-year-old Pole struggled to reproduce the tactical brilliance that had given her nine consecutive victories, Andreeva grew stronger with each match. She imposed her power, absorbed the pressure and left little doubt that a new force has arrived at the top of the women’s game.
However, Chwalinska can now dream of joining the club. Despite her underperformance in the final, she now jumps to 21st place in the world rankings.
There was no sign of a changing of the guard in the men’s doubles as Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos retained the title with a dominant 6-4 6-2 win over Harri Heliovaara and Henry Patten to claim their third Grand Slam title as a pair.
Spaniard Granollers and Argentine Zeballos, who initially teamed up in 2019, won the French Open and US Open last year to justify their top seeding after failing to drop a set in their 2026 Roland Garros campaign.
Two big debutants in women’s final
On the women’s side, there were two debutants in the Grand Slam final, with the most experienced, albeit the youngest, triumphing on a windy Court Philippe Chatrier.
Andreeva’s heavy groundstrokes began to penetrate the wind, while Chwalinska’s trademark touch and variation increasingly failed her, allowing the Russian to take control of the match.
The opening set was a tense affair, with both players struggling to cope with the pressure of a first Grand Slam final.
Chwalinska, only the second woman in the professional era to advance through qualifying and reach a Grand Slam final after Britain’s Emma Raducanu won the 2021 US Open, survived an opening marathon match in which she saved three break points with a mix of delicate drop shots and daring winners.
However, neither player could exert control.
Breaks were repeatedly exchanged, with Andreeva surrendering one service game with two double faults, while Chwalinska’s forehand repeatedly let her down.
At 3-3, Andreeva began to find more depth and weight from her wings, pushing Chwalinska behind the baseline and growing her confidence, even smiling after scoring an easy overhead smash.
She broke for 4-3 when Chwalinska scored a sliced backhand, consolidated for 5-3 and then took advantage of another nervy service game to claim the opening set.
The Russian carried that momentum into the second, breaking immediately and again for a 4-0 lead as Chwalinska struggled to contain her opponent’s relentless pressure.
The Pole briefly threatened a comeback, recovering one break to reduce the deficit to 5-2, but Andreeva was unmoved and sealed the biggest win of her young career with a sharp crosscourt backhand winner on her opponent’s serve.
The triumph earned Andreeva $3.22 million in prize money, while Chwalinska collected $1.61 million, about double her career earnings before arriving in Paris.
