TENNIS: Dream meets fairytale as Andreeva and Chwalinska set up French Open final showdown

PARIS – Mirra Andreeva’s dream run toward her first Grand Slam title continued on Thursday, while qualifier Maja Chwalinska maintained her own remarkable journey, setting the stage for an unexpected final at the French Open.

Early exits for top names—including defending champion Coco Gauff, four-time winner Iga Swiatek, and world number one Aryna Sabalenka—opened the door for a new group of contenders. Andreeva and Chwalinska seized the opportunity.

The 19-year-old Russian secured a 6-1, 6-3 victory over Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk in a politically charged semifinal. Later, Chwalinska defeated Russian Diana Shnaider 7‑6(4), 6‑4, continuing her remarkable run.

With Roland Garros guaranteed a new women’s champion, all eyes will be on Court Philippe Chatrier to see which of the two contrasting journeys will culminate in Grand Slam glory, and who will lift the Suzanne Lenglen Cup on Saturday.

“I never actually thought that I would be able to win big tournaments, or be in a Grand Slam final,” Andreeva said. “It’s everything that I’ve been dreaming of. For me, personally, it’s the number one goal in my life, the most important thing, the number one dream too.”

No Handshakes

Following the practice adopted by Ukrainian players since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Kostyuk did not pose for the traditional pre-match photo with Andreeva, and there was no handshake at the net after the match.

Once the match began, Andreeva quickly seized control and never let go, overwhelming Kostyuk with depth and aggression to claim victory in style. Kostyuk said she would carry her remarkable clay-court win streak “to the grave” and highlighted the crowd’s support for her war awareness efforts as a defining memory of the tournament.

Chwalinska became only the second qualifier to reach a Grand Slam final in the professional era, following Emma Raducanu’s U.S. Open triumph in 2021. She earned her win over Shnaider by playing superb tennis in high-pressure moments.

“It was such a challenging match, mentally and physically,” Chwalinska said. “The first set was such a battle. We gave our all. I’m very proud of my effort and super happy with the win.”

Chwalinska added she would stay in her bubble to maintain focus ahead of the final.

Valuable Insight

Shnaider, despite her defeat, expressed pride in her own run and offered an assessment of her performance that could give Andreeva useful insight for the title match.

The day also featured the first trophy of the fortnight, as Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori retained their French Open mixed doubles title with a 4-6, 6-3, [10-4] victory over Evan King and Gabriela Dabrowski.

The Italian duo dominated the deciding match tiebreak, becoming the first pair to defend the French Open mixed doubles title since Croatia’s Ivan Dodig and Taiwan’s Latisha Chan in 2019.

“It’s starting to become a good habit,” Vavassori said. “We’re very happy, and to win back-to-back here is amazing. We love this tournament.”

Errani credited their friendship for their success. “We’re both very competitive and have many things in common. We love tennis, we love to study matches, and we love to talk tactics. We’re doing a great job together.”

-Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar and Julien Pretot in Paris; Additional reporting by Tommy Lund in Gdansk; Editing by Pritha Sarkar/Reuters