Mirra Andreeva had too much for Maja Chwalinska, coming away with the win in the French Open final.
Andreeva came away with a straight-sets victory, beating Chwalinska 6-3, 6-2 to pick up her first French Open crown at just 19 years of age.
Andreeva is expected to be in contention for major titles throughout her career, and this French Open trophy is likely the first of many.
Following her win over Chwalinska, who started in qualifying and went all the way to the final, Andreeva shared a message for her opponent.
Everything Mirra Andreeva said following her French Open triumph
Andreeva’s on-court interview after the final was full of praise for Chwalinska, who battled her way through qualifying to reach the title match.
“Of course first of all congrats to Maja for these amazing three weeks, passing through qualies, winning so many matches,” said Andreeva. “Beating so many great players, congrats to your team as well.
“You guys have done an amazing job, amazing work. You are a very tricky opponent, I would not want to play against you one more time! I wish you the best of luck for the rest of the season and I hope we play many more finals together in the future.”
Living just down the road from Roland Garros in Cannes, Andreeva spoke about how much this victory meant to her. “I have been watching Roland Garros since I was very young, so it’s honestly a big dream of mine to win this tournament,” she added.
“I honestly cannot believe I am holding this trophy right now so thank you so much for making this such an amazing event.”
“Thanks to my team,” said Andreeva. “I know I can be a tough cookie sometimes and it’s pretty hard to put up with me as well on certain days.
“Thank you for pushing me to my limits and making me work even when I don’t want to. You always push me.
“Thanks to Conchita especially for sharing her experience, giving me so much advice. I am not going to thank every one of you, as I think that’s too much, but thanks to everyone who supports me.
“I will though say a special thanks to my parents for always believing in me. My Dad is currently watching on TV, so thanks for supporting me no matter what.
“I have got to say special thanks to my psychologist Alexis, I know you are watching somewhere from Florida. Thank you for giving me a lot of advice and working with me for over a year. Thank you for making me better. Everything you have told me I have been trying to use these two weeks and I would say that it worked not bad!”
Tim Henman reacts after Mirra Andreeva wins the French Open
Andreeva was the favourite coming into the French Open final against Chwalinska, and Tim Henman was impressed with how she dealt with the expectations in her first major final.
“I think she dealt with her own hopes and expectations extremely well,” Henman said live on TNT Sports. “She talked about having watched this tournament on television as a young girl growing up and her dream being to win Grand Slam titles. That brings a pressure in itself.
“But the way she went out and had a patient game plan to execute was hugely impressive. Even if there was a slight wobble at the end, you felt she had the composure and had learnt from previous mistakes and was able to get over that finish line.”
Andreeva will be rewarded for her first Grand Slam victory, as she is now expected to climb up to world number six in the rankings.
The Russian teenager is also now at the top of the race to the WTA Finals, with Andreeva almost guaranteed to qualify for the year-end tournament for the first time.
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