Andreeva snaps Kostyuk's winning streak to reach first major final
No. 8 seed Mirra Andreeva needed just 76 minutes to book her place in the first Grand Slam final of her career at Roland Garros, snapping No. 15 seed Marta Kostyuk's 17-match winning streak 6-1, 6-3. She will contest her eighth tour-level final, and fourth of 2026.
Andreeva, 19, becomes the third-youngest Roland Garros finalist of the 21st century, behind only 18-year-old Coco Gauff in 2022 and 17-year-old Kim Clijsters in 2001. She's the youngest player to reach the final at any major since Gauff's Paris run four years ago, and will bid to become the first teenage Slam champion since Gauff at the 2023 US Open against qualifier Maja Chwalinska, who stunned No. 25 Diana Shnaider in the second semifinal. It will be the first meeting between Andreeva and Chwalinska.
The result reversed Andreeva's straight-sets losses to Kostyuk in both of their previous meetings, in the Brisbane quarterfinals in January and in the Madrid final six weeks ago. It's the fourth time since the inception of Madrid in 2009 that the tournament's final has been reprised at Roland Garros; like last year's matchup (Coco Gauff against Aryna Sabalenka, the Madrid result was turned around in Paris.
While Andreeva didn't come into Roland Garros on a winning streak, she had won more clay-court matches this year than Kostyuk coming into this match (20 to 17). In April, she claimed her second title of the year in Linz, and followed it by reaching the Stuttgart semifinals, Madrid final and Rome quarterfinals. Now, she follows coach Conchita Martínez, the 2000 Roland Garros runner-up to Mary Pierce, into the final. Andreeva has dropped just one set this fortnight so far, in her 3-6, 6-1, 6-1 second-round win over No. 175-ranked qualifier Marina Bassols Ribera. Even including that match, she has conceded only 32 games in six rounds -- less than six games per match.
"I was very, very nervous coming into this match," Andreeva said in her on-court interview with 2013 Wimbledon champion Marion Bartoli.
"Until this match she hasn't lost a match on clay, so of course that puts a lot of pressure. She's an amazing player, very tough opponent and I'm first of all super happy with the way I played today, then I'm happy that I got a revenge from Madrid final, and then as well I'm happy that I'm in my first ever Grand Slam final. All of these feelings combined ... I've never felt anything like this before, and I'm very excited about the last match here in Paris."
Andreeva combines youth and experience with mature performance
Andreeva may have been the youngest of the semifinalists -- indeed, she has been the youngest player left in the draw since Iva Jovic's third-round loss -- but she was also the most experienced and accomplished of the final four. She is the only semifinalist to have been ranked inside the Top 10 -- she is currently at No. 8, with a career high of No. 5 -- and the only one to have any familiarity with this stage of a major.
At Roland Garros 2024, as an unseeded 17-year-old ranked No. 38, Andreeva delivered a nervous performance against Jasmine Paolini, falling 6-3, 6-1 in only 73 minutes. Two years later, she was on the other side of that dynamic.
"When I was playing semifinals, I was very excited," Andreeva recalled about 2024. "I would say that I didn't believe that, 'Oh my God, I'm playing in semifinals.' I feel like ... I had that disbelief that I can actually go on and win more matches. [It] kind of interfered with how I played in the semis. But also, I would say that that year Jasmine just killed me on the court. I didn't think that I had a lot of chances in that match.
"Now I feel like I'm getting closer, I'm getting older, a little bit more mature every match I play, a little bit more experience. So I think that now I'm able to approach every match differently and try to really focus on the opponent that I'm gonna play against and the game plan that I'm going to have to use on the court."
Two double faults and a netted backhand to drop serve immediately were indications that Kostyuk was unsettled. Andreeva also double faulted in her first service game, and faced triple break point -- but Kostyuk was unable to take the opportunity to get a foothold in the match. Instead, Andreeva was able to settle first. An exquisite lob-drop shot-lob combination in the third game was a pattern that demonstrated just how relaxed Andreeva's arm was as she jumped out to a 4-0 lead.
Kostyuk fended off five break points to finally get on the board in the fifth game, but this barely touched the sides of Andreeva's momentum as the teenager advanced to 6-1, 4-1. As the Ukrainian tallied 34 unforced errors, the games flew by. Meanwhile, Andreeva struck a perfect balance between a brick wall mode that only drew more mistakes from Kostyuk, and pulling the trigger with her own aggressive play. Her signature backhand down the line was in fine working order, and she fired the best of the lot to break for 2-0 in the second set.
Andreeva missed a point for a 5-1 lead after mishitting a forehand, opening the door for Kostyuk to muster some resistance. The 23-year-old did so, winning a 26-shot barnburner with a heavily spun drop shot en route to breaking back for 4-3. But it was brief -- Kostyuk swiftly snuffed out her hopes of a comeback by opening her next service game with a double fault and a shanked forehand of her own. Andreeva slammed away an overhead to regain the break, brought up match point with a forehand winner on the line and converted it as Kostyuk sent a forehand long.
"Today was one of those days where I felt like everything could happen and it was a little bit unpredictable," Andreeva reflected. "So I told myself no matter what happens I'm gonna fight, give my best and if she ends up winning, she's going to have to really work for it and fight."
"I was seeing the little hairs on the ball"
What does being in the zone actually mean, when it comes down to it? For Andreeva, there was a physical manifestation of it.
"I was also at some point seeing the little hairs on the ball when I was tossing or playing," she said in her press conference.
"One thing is when you see the hairs on the ball for a couple of points, and the other thing when you're able to do it throughout the whole match. I felt like today was one of those matches where I was focused throughout the whole time."
It's a point of particular pride that the specific aspects of the game she's been working on with Martínez have been coming to fruition. Andreeva's focus hasn't been confined to the match court, either. In a tournament that's been full of upsets and opportunities, she's kept her head down to quietly make her way through the bottom half, match by match.
"Before the tournament started, obviously I was like, 'Well, that would be great if I get to the final,'" she said. "I don't know. I was not really focused on that in the beginning of the tournament. I felt like this week in particular I was just really trying to win every match that I was playing."
Kostyuk leaves Paris with head held high
Kostyuk, who has been playing all fortnight for her wartorn country as well as herself, might have been forgiven for being devastated as her career-best form came to such a swift end. Not so: the work she's done on herself that contributed to the streak in the first place has also enabled her to put a bad loss in perspective.
"What I'm most happy with is that I first changed, and then this streak came," she said. "Not that the streak came and then I changed ... I feel like the most important thing for me was that I had an intention of what kind of career I want to have, what kind of player and person I want to be, and I slowly moved towards that direction that I set myself. I'm arriving there, where I want to be and how I want to be. You know, I told Sandra before the tournament, I said, 'Honestly, the battles that I have won against myself and in my head, Grand Slams is nothing comparing to it. Nothing.'"
To explain the loss, Kostyuk praised Andreeva's level and historic record at Roland Garros.
"I think that this court suits her best of all the tournaments that exist," she said. "I saw at the screen that her record here is 16-3. I came into this tournament being like 4-7, you know. So clearly not my best court.
"She played good today. She played solid. She wasn't missing. I was missing more. Obviously felt pressure. She was serving much better today. I couldn't do a lot, because the court is crazy slow, and she was retrieving all the balls. So I felt like I had to go for more. Obviously, that was what was making me make more mistakes. That's it.
"I had enough tough days, bad days, to know that they end. It's not the worst thing in the world to lose a match wherever the stage is. First time playing semifinals, [Andreeva] obviously had that experience, so next time when I'm in semifinals, maybe I'm going to feel better, different. I don't know. Obviously not the greatest match from me today. But I don't think about it that much."
Despite the defeat, Kostyuk will leave Paris with memories to treasure. The streak may be over, but she joked that she will "take it ... to the grave" with her. Even more significant was the reception she received while dedicating her wins to her wartorn country.
"I will never forget the ovations I received after my match in quarterfinals," she said. "This is something I will carry with me forever. I will never believe anyone who is at the world stage of this sport saying they have zero influence or anything, because I experienced this myself.
"Yeah, if you want to, you can do anything, and this was a proof for me. I mean, I obviously am very happy I made it to the semifinals, but I feel like this is the highlight of my tournament."
