Mirra Andreeva Reaches First Grand Slam Final at Roland Garros

Mirra Andreeva took a significant step towards fulfilling her boundless talent as she produced a brilliantly composed and mature performance to reach her first grand slam final at Roland Garros. Andreeva viciously dismantled a painfully nervous Marta Kostyuk 6-1, 6-3 in the most high-profile encounter between a Russian and Ukrainian player since Russia invaded Kostyuk’s homeland four years ago.

Andreeva will attempt to become just the third-youngest first time grand slam champion in the 21st century, behind only 17-year-old Maria Sharapova and an 18-year old Emma Raducanu. Still only 19, Andreeva has been competing at the highest level since she was 15 and it has taken some time for the Russian to manage her temper, emotions and the pressure that accompanies her massive ambition. Finally, it appears that she is ready to step forward and stake her claim for the biggest titles.

At the same time that the women’s draw has steadily opened up – with Aryna Sabalenka’s shock defeat to Diana Shnaider on Wednesday ensuring that a new grand slam champion would be crowned – the focus has increasingly narrowed on the geopolitical topic that has never been far from the surface during this event: Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Kostyuk’s tournament started 11 days ago as she woke up to the news that a Russian missile had landed around 100 metres from her family home in Ukraine, where her mother, sister and great aunt were staying, on the morning of her first round match. After the best grand slam showing of her career, it ended at the hands of one of her most prominent Russian rivals.

Although not as forcefully as her compatriot Oleksandra Oliynykova, who insisted that the eventual semi-finalist Shnaider should be sanctioned for competing in a St Petersburg exhibition backed by Gazprom, an act she compared to a player competing in Nazi Germany, Kostyuk had made her opinions on her opponent felt before the match: “I wish there was some more clear stance on what’s going on, especially when your country is killing other people,” said Kostyuk. “I don’t know how you can sleep at night peacefully when you know that this is going on, and you have nothing to say about it.

Still, the strength of each country on the WTA tour also means that Ukrainian and Russian players have long grown accustomed to facing each other over the past four years. Ahead of the match, the two players posed separately for photos with the two child mascots on court for the coin toss and Kostyuk naturally opted not to shake Andreeva’s hand after the match. Otherwise, this was business as usual as both players desperately tried to take advantage of the biggest opportunity of their careers. As she came to terms with a potentially career-defining victory, Andreeva even slowed her walk towards the net after the match to ensure that the two players did not meet there.

For at least one hour, 16 minutes of her life, the significance of this match was Kostyuk’s most pressing concern. She simply could not handle the pressure. Although Andreeva may be the better player in terms of her far superior achievements at such a young age, Kostyuk was the most in-form player in the draw. She arrived in the semi-finals in the form of her life, embarking on a 17-match winning streak that included a straight sets win over Andreeva in the Madrid Open final, extending her head-to-head lead to 2-0.

Under the glare of grand slam pressure, however, she could not handle the moment. As unforced errors streamed from her racket, Kostyuk’s uncompromising ultra-aggressive approach did not help as she lost 10 of the first 11 games to trail 1-6, 0-3. Even when she worked herself back into the second set and dragged herself back on serve, the confidence she had exhibited over the past six weeks had vanished.

At the same time that Kostyuk struggled and squirmed, Andreeva’s composure from start to finish was deeply impressive. She has won so many matches and worked through so many different challenges in her young career, both good and bad. That experience was all on show as she moved to within one match of pulling off an achievement she has long seemed destined for.