Mirra Andreeva overcame testing conditions and the burden of years of expectations to defeat qualifier Maja Chwalinska for her first grand slam title, becoming the youngest women’s champion at the French Open since 18-year-old Monica Seles in 1992.
19-year-old Andreeva announced her enormous potential on the clay with a storming run to the French Open semi-finals two years ago. Despite her young age she had long been tipped to convert that into titles – and two years on, the vastly experienced teenager fulfilled that potential, maintaining her focus despite a difficult, windy court and a highly partisan crowd to win Roland Garros 6-3 6-2.
The eighth seed collapsed to the clay and covered her face in disbelief as a smash, with Chwalinska rooted to the spot, sealed the first of what many believe will be several major titles. It brought an end to Chwalinska’s stunning fairytale run, as she attempted to become only the second qualifier to ever win a major, after Emma Raducanu at the US Open in 2021.
Andreeva paid tribute to Chwalinska in the podium ceremony, joking: “You are a very tricky opponent, I wouldn’t want to play against you another time… okay, it’s fine, I hope we play many, many more finals together in the future.
“I cannot believe I’m holding this trophy right now. Paris is going to have a very special place in my heart.”
She thanked the tournament directors, ball kids, and her team, before adding: “Last but not least, I want to thank myself for believing in myself and always giving 100 per cent, even when it is tough. I try every day to be better as a person and as a player, and fight so many demons inside of me. Only I know how tough it was for me these two weeks – so thanks to myself.”
Andreeva had said after her semi-final win over Marta Kostyuk that a change in her perspective over the course of this season has allowed her to stay calm in situations that previously would have derailed her.
While her increased maturity has been evident the question remained of how she would fare in a cauldron of support for her opposition. Her impetuousness and temper have often worked against her, while she wilted against home favourite Lois Boisson at the semi-final stage last year, unable to cope with the emotion of the situation.
And she was facing a similarly one-sided crowd on Saturday, with chants of “Maja, Maja, Maja” erupting during the warm-up, as world No 114 Chwalinska stepped up to serve, and at every changeover.
But the key to Andreeva’s run in this tournament has been her ability to adapt, whether that be to different opponents or rapidly changing conditions, and to keep calm, to the extent that she told press after the semi-final that she was so focused she could see “the little hairs on the ball”. She needed every bit of that focus on Sunday. Chwalinska was a difficult opponent, but in many ways this was Andreeva’s Coupe Suzanne-Lenglen to lose.
Against Kostyuk Andreeva had seemed scarcely bothered by the wind, although she later admitted it had made for tough conditions, changing direction and speed unpredictably. The conditions were similar on Saturday, swirling and kicking clay up into the players’ faces. But they troubled her more, while the nerves of a first slam final were compounded by being the expected champion against a free-swinging underdog with nothing to lose.
Nerves were evidently a factor for both, however; Chwalinska, choosing to serve first, opened with a double fault, and there were four consecutive breaks of serve. The Pole’s unorthodox game style posed immediate problems as she chopped and changed pace and direction, with her heavy spin and lefty forehand, and the sheer variety and inventiveness of her game, frustrating Andreeva.
Chwalinska’s love of moonballs and ability to switch with ease between baseline exchange and clever drop shot paid off as she went toe to toe with the Russian, who struggled on serve and with her choice of shot.
But Andreeva’s ability to focus despite the many distractions – particularly as the wind continued to pick up – was on show as, from 3-3 and after four straight breaks of serve before Chwalinska held for the first time, she locked down. She broke the 24-year-old’s serve again before backing up the break for the first time, digging out a drop shot that very nearly died in the service box before planting a smash into the open court.
That was the catalyst she needed; she went 0-40 up in Chwalinska’s next service game and fired a beautiful backhand cross-court winner to take the set, celebrating with a fist pump and determined smile. She looked like a slam winner-in-waiting.
Andreeva’s first serve percentage, having hovered in the low 40 per cent in the first half of the first set, improved to the high 70s, while she showed more conviction in her clean, destructive groundstrokes. Chwalinska, who was playing in her 10th match in a row after winning three in qualifying, began to look mentally drained and to leak errors.
There was more fight down the teenager’s side of the court: a sloppy service game as she led 2-0 saw her slip to 0-40 down, but she reeled off five points in a row, getting to deuce with a tidy backhand winner before Chwalinska hit long, to stave off trouble and extend her lead to 3-0.
She broke to love immediately after, with the Pole slipping glumly to the court as she watched a forehand trail long, her chances of a slam title carried away on the Parisian wind. In the ceremony, she joked: “You’re so young and talented, it’s so annoying.” To the crowd, she added: “I wish you could see a better match today but Mirra was just too good, so it’s her fault.”
Andreeva made a colossal hash of a net smash at 40-15 in her next service game, but didn’t blink, and a battering ram of a backhand down the line put her a game away from the title, 5-0 up. But as Chwalinska held for the first time in the set, the pressure was once more all on the teenager’s shoulders.
It told: a miss on a routine net volley brought up 30-30 and she swung long on a forehand to gift Chwalinska a rare break point, but although she saved the first, two clunking errors – the second another poor forehand long – handed over the break and set off another chorus of “Maja, Maja, Maja”.
But in the greatest test of her life the teenager held firm and Chwalinska buckled. Andreeva earned three match points and only needed one, shifting from baseline to net to hammer away the winner.
She dropped to the ground in joy before embracing Chwalinska and heading up to her box, celebrating with coach Conchita Martinez, who has been integral to her rise.
After two weeks of intense focus, the teenager could allow herself a beaming smile, while having worked so hard on her composure, it was telling that there were no tears and she seemed relaxed. Like this was simply inevitable, the culmination of years of work that would always end with her lifting the Coupe Suzanne-Lenglen aloft.
