At the 2026 French Open, 19-year-old Russian rising tennis star Mirra Andreeva delivered a clinical 6-1, 6-3 straight-sets victory over Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk on Thursday to book her spot in the first Grand Slam singles final of her young career. The milestone makes Andreeva the youngest women’s singles Grand Slam finalist since American Coco Gauff reached the same stage of Roland Garros back in 2022, and the first player born after 2005 ever to advance to a major singles championship match.
Already a semi-finalist at the Paris clay-court major in 2024, this run marks another major step forward for a player long marked as a future top competitor in women’s tennis. In the open era, Andreeva ranks as the fourth-youngest woman to reach the Roland Garros final in three decades, joining an elite club of former teenage contenders that includes Martina Hingis, Kim Clijsters and Gauff. If she claims the title on Saturday, she will become the third-youngest first-time Grand Slam champion of the 21st century, trailing only Maria Sharapova and Emma Raducanu.
Entering the semi-final clash, the narrative extended far beyond tennis, shaped by the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine that began in February 2022. Kostyuk has been a vocal critic of the war since its start, and has repeatedly condemned Russian athletes who have declined to speak out against the conflict. Sticking to the position Ukrainian players have maintained since the war began, Kostyuk declined to pose for the traditional pre-match handshake photo with Andreeva, and the two players did not shake hands following the conclusion of the contest.
On the court, the form favored neither player on paper: Kostyuk entered the match riding an unbeatable 17-match clay-court winning streak this season, and had beaten Andreeva in both of their prior head-to-head meetings in 2026. But the Russian eighth seed turned the tables completely, producing one of her most mature performances to date even amid blustery on-court conditions. Andreeva’s statistics told the story of her dominance: she committed just 22 unforced errors, 12 fewer than Kostyuk’s 34, and held firm from the baseline while grinding out tough points in defence. Kostyuk, by contrast, could not replicate the high-energy form that carried her to an emotional quarter-final win over fellow Ukrainian Elina Svitolina.
Across her six matches to reach the final, Andreeva has dropped just one set – a second-round comeback win against Spain’s Marina Bassols Ribera. Heading into Saturday’s championship match, she will face either 25th seed Diana Shnaider, her compatriot, or Polish qualifier Maja Chwalinska. As of 2026, Andreeva holds more tour-level wins on clay (21) and overall (35) than any other player on the WTA Tour, a statistic made more notable following the shock early exit of world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka earlier this week.
Speaking after her semi-final win, Andreeva opened up about the unprecedented emotions of reaching her first major final, admitting pre-match nerves remained a factor even after her deep run a year prior. “I am still very, very nervous. I was nervous coming into this match,” she said. “All of these feelings combined, it is amazing – I have never felt anything like this before.”
Of her opponent, she praised Kostyuk’s impressive form leading into the clash, saying: “Until this match, she has not lost a match on clay. She is an amazing player and a very tough opponent, and I am super happy with the way I played today. I told myself to accept everything that happens on the court and no matter what happens, I am going to fight and give my best. With this kind of mindset, I ended up winning the match.”
With her place in the final secured, Andreeva enters Saturday’s showpiece as the clear betting and form favorite, on the cusp of claiming the biggest title of her burgeoning career.