Mirra Andreeva became the youngest women’s French Open champion since 1992. Photo: AFP/FILE
PARIS:
Mirra Andreeva won her first Grand Slam title on Saturday by downing Polish qualifier Maja Chwalinska in straight sets in the French Open final.
The 19-year-old Russian beat Chwalinska 6-3, 6-2 to become the youngest Roland Garros women’s singles champion since Monica Seles, then aged 18, won her third straight title in Paris in 1992.
With her first-ever major crown, Andreeva also became the first player, man or woman, born after 2005 to win a Grand Slam.
The Coupe Suzanne Lenglen will now take centre spot in Andreeva’s burgeoning trophy cabinet, which already features two WTA 1000 titles.
Defeat at the final hurdle brought to an end an astonishing run which started in qualifying for Chwalinska, who won nine matches in the French capital to become the first qualifier to reach the final in the Open era.
However, the world number 114’s career will now be on a different stratosphere as she will climb to 21 in the rankings and be assured of competing regularly in tennis’ biggest tournaments.
True grit
Chwalinska displayed some early nerves as she dumped two serves straight into the net on the very first point of the match, with Andreeva finally forcing a break at the end of a seven-minute long opening game.
But the Pole broke back instantly as Andreeva overcooked a backhand down the line following a series of looping defensive shots coming from both sides of the court at 30-40.
Both players seemed to be struggling with the occasion, a situation not helped by blustery conditions on centre court, as two more consecutive breaks came about.
Chwalinska then put an end to that as she held to love, bringing the crowd to their feet as she showed the variety of her shot selection by drawing Andreeva to the net with a drop shot before lobbing her with a perfectly weighted volley en route to taking a 3-2 lead.
But Andreeva showed she was willing to go toe-to-toe with her opponent as she waited patiently to strike with a winner up the line before slamming down an ace to earn her first hold of the match.
The Russian dug in and moved into the ascendancy as she pounced on a Chwalinska service game that was particularly impacted by the wind as several court-side spectators saw their straw hats fly off in the breeze.
She then reeled off a comfortable hold before powering to a one-set lead, breaking Chwalinska again with a crosscourt backhand winner.
Andreeva kept on a roll as Chwalinska compiled errors to go behind early in the second frame.
Two Andreeva errors and an unplayable drop shot gave the Pole the chance to instantly wipe out that advantage but the teen showed serious mettle to pull off a battling hold and at 3-0 the writing looked on the wall for Chwalinska.
Andreeva then rattled through the next two games to move to the brink.
But Chwalinska refused to give in and held to make it 5-1, before breaking Andreeva as she served for the match.
However, the new world number six was not to be denied as she pounced in the very next game to claim the biggest trophy so far of her fledgling career.
A backhand winner sending her crumpling to her knees as she surpassed her coach Conchita Martinez’s 2000 runner-up finish at Roland Garros.
