Mirra Andreeva wins first Grand Slam, beats Chwalinska 6-3 6-2

Mirra Andreeva became the youngest women’s French Open champion in 34 years after beating qualifier Maja Chwalinska 6-3, 6-2. The result ends Chwalinska’s historic bid to become only the second qualifier to win a major after Emma Raducanu, and caps a fortnight

Bright, blustery conditions in Paris didn’t just rattle the ball — they shaped the story of the French Open final. Mirra Andreeva looked composed through the wind, then turned the match when it mattered most, sweeping to a 6-3, 6-2 victory over qualifier Maja Chwalinska.

For Andreeva, it was her first ever Grand Slam title. She became the youngest women’s French Open champion for 34 years and landed at the end of an emotionally charged fortnight that had been full of twists: from a qualifier with a fairytale run to a teenager who arrived with talent that refuses to behave.

Chwalinska. 24. had arrived in the final on the back of a remarkable path and carried an attempt at something no one else had achieved — becoming the second qualifier in history to win a major after Emma Raducanu. Instead. she fell at the last hurdle. leaving her with the kind of “almost” that can sting for a long time.

Andreeva’s reward was immediate and tangible. The new world No21 earned £1.2million at Roland Garros, more than double her previous earnings. But the larger shift may be the one that doesn’t appear in prize money figures: she arrives in the rest of the summer with the belief that her unusual. watchable style can trouble anyone in the world.

The tournament’s seeds and numbers tell only part of the truth. Andreeva came in as the No8 seed and. in the way draws can sometimes break for players. she faced no other top 10 players on the way through. Still. the first Grand Slam is always the hardest — and after this triumph she’ll head to Wimbledon later this month with eyes on the biggest title of all.

Chwalinska’s run, meanwhile, wasn’t just a story about tennis. The 24-year-old from Poland had previously struggled with depression and. five years ago. she was “gripped so tightly” by it that she struggled to get out of bed. On Sunday morning. that same life — the one that has pushed her back into the brightest lights in sport — will also wake up with the knowledge she’s a Grand Slam finalist. even if the winner’s trophy slipped away.

The match itself began with nerves that even the wind seemed to amplify. Chwalinska opened with a double fault and the game produced four straight breaks of serve. But from 3-3. once she had time to feel her way into the rhythm and get the measure of her opponent’s unorthodox challenge. Andreeva settled.

Her patience made the difference. She worked the ball into corners and waited for Chwalinska to crack — a plan that fit the way Chwalinska’s clay-court identity has unsettled opponents all fortnight. Chwalinska loops the ball over in classic clay-court style, mixing slices, drop shots and sorties to the net. Her game has been fun to watch and hellish to play against. especially with windy conditions that predominated through the second week.

Where so many of Chwalinska’s frustrated opponents went wrong was in trying to overpower her — giving her what she needs most: chances to extract errors. In contrast, Andreeva didn’t rush the issue. Towards the end of the second set. the Pole landed a fine drop shot — and Andreeva chased it down and dinked the ball back over mere centimetres from the net.

That kind of court craft decided moments when Chwalinska threatened, and it forced her into the margins her game is designed to exploit in others.

There’s a broader feel to the result, too. In the 90s — the era of Monica Seles. Martina Hingis and Jennifer Capriati — it was common for prodigiously talented teenagers to win Grand Slams. In the post-Serena women’s game, power and physicality have made that kind of breakthrough seem less likely. Andreeva. though. has already pushed back against the idea that the sport’s modern demands must always demand a longer timeline.

Andreeva’s path to this moment has been shaped by both instinct and support. She was born in Siberia but developed her game in France. She first gave notice of her ability at 15. reaching the last 16 at Wimbledon in 2023. and her progress accelerated a year later when she was turbo-charged by the inspired appointment of Conchita Martinez as coach. Martinez — the 1994 Wimbledon champion — is one of very few top female coaches who has been there and done it as a player.

Even so, talent doesn’t automate success, and neither does a top coach. Andreeva has shown teenage petulance in recent times, most spectacularly in March when she screamed “F*** you!” at the Indian Wells crowd.

For Chwalinska, the final also carries the weight of memory. Her only previous Grand Slam semi-final came here two years ago. and last year she was “a bag of nerves” in subsiding against French world No361 Lois Boisson in the quarters. This final will have brought back uncomfortable memories because. for the second year in a row. she faced the event’s surprise package and crowd favourite.

Now the emotions shift to what comes next. Andreeva has already started calling this her “Mirra Era. ” and whether she’s right will depend on how she handles the expectation that arrives with a first major. But with her first Grand Slam already secured. and with Wimbledon later this month in the immediate line of sight. the story in Paris is simple even if the journey wasn’t: Andreeva found her timing. used the wind and the occasion to her advantage. and ended Chwalinska’s dream at the last moment.

The trophy ceremony will belong to the winner, but the runner-up’s route — from depression years to a Grand Slam finalist’s stage — will remain one of the defining human threads of the fortnight.

French Open Mirra Andreeva Maja Chwalinska tennis Grand Slam final Roland Garros Wimbledon world No21 qualifier