Russian teenager Mirra Andreeva claimed her first Grand Slam trophy with a 6-3, 6-2 victory at the French Open on Saturday, ending the remarkable Cinderella run of Polish qualifier Maja Chwalinska.
Andreeva, at 19 years and 38 days old, is the youngest woman to win the French Open title since Monica Seles in 1992.
Seeded eighth, Andreeva claimed her sixth WTA Tour singles title in one hour and 22 minutes and became the first Russian to prevail on the clay courts at Roland Garros since Maria Sharapova in 2014.
“I’ve been watching Roland Garros on TV since I was very, very young,” Andreeva said during the trophy presentation. “It’s also a big dream of mine to win this tournament, and I honestly cannot believe that I’m holding this trophy right now.”
Andreeva saved five of eight break points, converted seven of 12 break opportunities and compiled a decisive 25-10 advantage in winners at Court Philippe-Chatrier.
Chwalinska, 24, was the first qualifier to reach the women’s French Open final. She began the fortnight in Paris ranked No. 114 in the world and was just the third woman to make this final in her main-draw debut, joining Evonne Goolagong (1971) and Chris Evert (1973).
–Field Level Media
