Mirra Andreeva won the French Open by defeating Maja Chwalinska in two sets, 6-3, 6-2, on Saturday on Court Philippe-Chatrier. At 19 years old, the No. 8 seed claimed the first Grand Slam title of her career, after a controlled final following a tight start to the match.
Six tense games, then Andreeva took control
The final was initially undecided. The first four games all resulted in breaks, before Chwalinska finally held her serve to lead 3-2. Andreeva leveled the score at 3-3, then changed the pace of the match: break, consolidate, another break, and the first set was closed 6-3 in 42 minutes.
Nine games in a row to stifle Chwalinska
Starting at 3-3 in the first set, Andreeva won nine consecutive games to lead 6-3, 5-0. Chwalinska stopped the run by holding serve, then broke back to 5-2. But Andreeva immediately closed out the final with a final winning backhand.
Chwalinska did not perform her miracle
Having come through qualifying, Maja Chwalinska reached the final after three weeks of the tournament and nine consecutive victories. The Polish player, ranked 114th in the world at the start of the tournament, was playing in her first major final. She had already spent 15 hours and 44 minutes on the courts before this final, compared to 8 hours and 14 minutes for Andreeva.
A first Grand Slam
Andreeva had never won a Grand Slam title before. She had never played in a major final before this tournament. She leaves Paris with the Suzanne Lenglen Cup, a title won without dropping a set in the final and with a clear acceleration in the decisive moments.
