French Open 2026: Mirra Andreeva beats Maja Chwalinska for first Grand Slam title
Teenager Mirra Andreeva won her first Grand Slam title as Polish qualifier Maja Chwalinska failed to achieve a fairytale victory at the French Open.
19-year-old Andreeva fulfilled the potential she has long shown with a 6-3 6-2 victory over her opponent, who was a 500-1 outsider before the tournament.
Russian eighth seed Andreeva became the youngest woman to win the Roland Garros title since Monica Seles in 1992.
Securing victory in one hour and 22 minutes, Andreeva joyfully walked onto the court and then quickly ran into the stands to warmly embrace her coach, Conchita Martinez, herself a former major champion after winning Wimbledon in 1994.
Andreeva overcame a tense start; Nerves and a swirling wind led to the final start with four consecutive breaks of serve.
Chwalinska, number 114 in the world rankings, took first place; this was much to the delight of the 15,000-strong crowd, who vociferously supported him throughout.
Despite thousands of Polish fans cheering Chwalinska on, Andreeva showed her increasing maturity to keep her composure and take a 6-3 5-0 lead over the next nine games.
Tensions escalated further when Andreeva failed to serve on the first try, but she recovered and won her first championship point with a backhand from Chwalinska.
