Russian teenage tennis player Mirra Andreeva reached her first Grand Slam final by defeating Ukraine's Marta Kostyuk 6-1, 6-3 in the French Open semifinals on Thursday. Andreeva sealed the win on her first match point with a decisive serve.
There was no post-match handshake between the two players. Kostyuk quickly left the court, returning only to wave and blow a kiss to the crowd at Philippe-Chatrier, where some spectators waved Ukrainian flags.
The pre-match atmosphere was also tense, as the players took separate photos, each standing with two ball kids on their side of the net. Normally, players pose for a joint photo close together at the net.
Earlier in the tournament, Kostyuk and her compatriot Oleksandra Oliynykova spoke about the impact of Russia's four-year-long invasion of Ukraine. The eighth-seeded Russian controlled the match from the start, overwhelming Kostyuk with depth and aggressive play to earn a spot in the final against fellow Russian Diana Shnaider or Polish qualifier Maja Chwalinska.
Andreeva, 19, surged to a 4-0 lead in the first set and never allowed her opponent a chance to turn the tide. Kostyuk had won both previous meetings, but this time she only briefly threatened in the second set before Andreeva extinguished any hopes of a comeback.
"I was still very nervous, very nervous going into this match because she's had a great season, hasn't lost on clay, which was pressure," Andreeva said. "She's a great player, a tough opponent, and I'm very happy with how I played. I'm happy to have avenged my Madrid final loss and to reach my first Grand Slam final. All the emotions are mixed; I've never experienced anything like this. I'm really looking forward to the final in Paris."
Earlier on Thursday, top mixed doubles seeds Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori of Italy defeated Gabriela Dabrowski of Canada and Evan King of the U.S. 4-6, 6-3, 10-4 to win the title. An Italian man is guaranteed to appear in the French Open men's singles final on Sunday, as Flavio Cobolli faces Matteo Arnaldi on Friday — both are first-time Grand Slam semifinalists.
