Russian Mira Andreeva (19 years old) and Polish Maya Hvalinska (24 years old) reached the final of the French Open tennis tournament in Paris on Thursday, after defeating Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk and Russian Diana Schneider, respectively. The final match will be Andreeva's first in major tournaments, while Khvalynska wrote the tournament's history by becoming the first female qualifier to reach the Roland Garros final.

Published on: 04/06/2026 - 20:40

Russian Mira Andreeva, ranked eighth in the world, and Polish Maya Hvalinska (114) secured their tickets to the Roland Garros final on Thursday, by defeating Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk 6-1, 6-3, and Russian Diana Schneider, 7-6 (4/7), 6-4, respectively.

Andreeva, who reached the semi-finals of the tournament in 2024 when she was seventeen years old, is preparing for her first final in a major tournament, where she will enter the final confrontation and she is the most likely candidate to be crowned.

In the first confrontation, Andreeva needed an hour and 16 minutes to resolve the confrontation against her Ukrainian opponent. Andreeva said after the match: “I still feel very, very nervous. I was very nervous before this fight.”

Russian control and revenge for Madrid's loss

The confrontation between the two best players on clay courts this season ended unexpectedly quickly, as the Russian player imposed complete control despite the wind, benefiting from a strong serve that enabled her to impose her rhythm from the beginning. Andreeva praised her opponent, Kostyuk, saying: “She had a wonderful season. She is a special player and a very fierce competitor.”

She added, "I am very happy with the level I performed, and I was able to avenge my loss in the Madrid final, and this gives me a wonderful feeling. Most importantly, I reached the first final in my career in a Grand Slam tournament." She continued, "It's amazing to have all these feelings come together. I've never felt anything like this before."

Kostyuk declines... and Andreeva's record numbers

As for Kostyuk, who had achieved 16 consecutive victories on clay courts this season, she made her way to the semi-finals in Paris for the first time in her career after defeating the four-time defending champion, Polish Iga Swiontek, and then her compatriot Elina Svitolina.

However, her performance clearly declined against Andreeva, whether in terms of direct errors, where she committed 34 errors compared to her opponent’s 22, or in the effectiveness of the first serve, which did not exceed 51 percent compared to 73 percent for the Russian player.

Over the past three decades, only three players have been able to reach the Roland Garros final at a younger age than Andreeva: Swiss Martina Hingis in 1997 and 1999, Belgian Kim Clijsters in 2001, and American Coco Gauff in 2022.

An unprecedented achievement at Roland Garros for Hvalinska

In the second confrontation, Poland's Hwalinska, ranked 114th in the world, wrote history in the French championship after becoming the first qualifying player to reach the Roland Garros final. She also became the second player ever to reach the final of a major tournament after qualifying from the qualifiers, after Britain's Emma Raducano when the latter won the US Championship title in 2021.

This achievement reflects the magnitude of the surprise achieved by the 24-year-old, who this season has only reached one quarter-final in the WTA competitions, in the Romanian Cluj-Napoca 250 points tournament in February (where she lost to Raducanu).

In early May, she was competing in the Saint-Gaudens tournament in southwest France, just as the elite players were competing in the Rome 1000 Points Tournament.

Innovative style and rare versatility

Her playing style is based on a wide variety of strokes, which impresses the fans while confusing her opponents. At Roland Garros, she was able to outperform prominent names, including Chinese Olympic champion Geng Qinwen, in addition to Belgian Elsa Mertens and Russian Anna Kalinskaya.

As for Schneider, who ousted Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka, world number one, in the quarter-finals, she tried to impose her rhythm from the back line, but Khvalynska succeeded in adapting through good defense and quick movement.

The first set ended in favor of Poland via a tiebreaker after an hour and 17 minutes. The confrontation between two left-handed players, which is rare at this level, witnessed a continuation of the competition during the second set, before the course of the match changed after the Russian player requested medical treatment while she was ahead 4-3, so Khvalynska benefited and won the last three games and sealed the qualification.

France 24/AFP

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