Mirra Andreeva won her first Grand Slam title on Saturday, defeating Polish qualifier Maja Chwalinska 6-3, 6-2 in the French Open final.
The 19-year-old Russian eighth seed became the youngest woman to win Roland Garros since Monica Seles in 1992. Chwalinska, ranked world No. 114 and a 500-1 outsider before the tournament, was unable to complete her fairytale run.
After a tense start that saw four consecutive breaks of serve, Andreeva took control by winning nine straight games to lead 6-3, 5-0. She failed to serve out the match at the first attempt but converted her first championship point on Chwalinska’s serve with a backhand winner.
Andreeva fell to the clay in celebration before embracing her coach, former Wimbledon champion Conchita Martinez. “I’ve been watching Roland Garros since I was very young, and it has always been a dream to win this trophy,” Andreeva said.
The victory caps a breakthrough season in which Andreeva has won two WTA 1000 titles and cracked the world’s top five.
