Russian teenager Mirra Andreeva wins French Open to claim first Grand Slam title

Russian teenager Mirra Andreeva wins French Open to claim first Grand Slam title 1 of 5 | Russia’s Mirra Andreeva reacts after winning the semifinal tennis match against Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk at the French Open in Paris, Thursday, June 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus) 2 of 5 | Russia’s Mirra Andreeva poses with the trophy after winning the final women’s tennis match against Poland’s Maja Chwalinska at the French Open in Paris, Saturday, June 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard) 3 of 5 | Russia’s Mirra Andreeva ewacts after winning the final tennis match against Poland’s Maja Chwalinska at the French Open in Paris, Saturday, June 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus) 4 of 5 | Poland’s Maja Chwalinska reacts during the final tennis match against Russia’s Mirra Andreeva at the French Open in Paris, Saturday, June 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Emma Da Silva) 5 of 5 | Russia’s Mirra Andreeva poses with her coach Conchita Martinez after winning the final tennis match at the French Open in Paris, Saturday, June 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus) 1 of 5 | Russia’s Mirra Andreeva reacts after winning the semifinal tennis match against Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk at the French Open in Paris, Thursday, June 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus) 1 of 5 Russia’s Mirra Andreeva reacts after winning the semifinal tennis match against Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk at the French Open in Paris, Thursday, June 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share 2 of 5 | Russia’s Mirra Andreeva poses with the trophy after winning the final women’s tennis match against Poland’s Maja Chwalinska at the French Open in Paris, Saturday, June 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard) 2 of 5 Russia’s Mirra Andreeva poses with the trophy after winning the final women’s tennis match against Poland’s Maja Chwalinska at the French Open in Paris, Saturday, June 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share 3 of 5 | Russia’s Mirra Andreeva ewacts after winning the final tennis match against Poland’s Maja Chwalinska at the French Open in Paris, Saturday, June 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus) 3 of 5 Russia’s Mirra Andreeva ewacts after winning the final tennis match against Poland’s Maja Chwalinska at the French Open in Paris, Saturday, June 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share 4 of 5 | Poland’s Maja Chwalinska reacts during the final tennis match against Russia’s Mirra Andreeva at the French Open in Paris, Saturday, June 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Emma Da Silva) 4 of 5 Poland’s Maja Chwalinska reacts during the final tennis match against Russia’s Mirra Andreeva at the French Open in Paris, Saturday, June 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Emma Da Silva) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share 5 of 5 | Russia’s Mirra Andreeva poses with her coach Conchita Martinez after winning the final tennis match at the French Open in Paris, Saturday, June 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus) 5 of 5 Russia’s Mirra Andreeva poses with her coach Conchita Martinez after winning the final tennis match at the French Open in Paris, Saturday, June 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Updated [hour]:[minute] [AMPM] [timezone], [monthFull] [day], [year] Paris (AP) — Russian teenager Mirra Andreeva was already a tennis phenom at age 15.At 19, she’s a Grand Slam champion.The eighth-ranked Andreeva ended the run of 114th-ranked Polish qualifier Maja Chwalinska by 6-3, 6-2 in the French Open final on Saturday.Andreeva became the youngest player to win the women’s singles title since Monica Seles, who was 18 when she landed her third straight French Open in 1992.“You’re so young and talented. It’s so annoying,” Chwalinska told Andreeva during the awards ceremony.When Andreeva executed a backhand cross-court winner on her first match point, she threw her racket into the air and dropped on her knees to the clay to celebrate.During the trophy presentation, Andreeva took the unusual step of thanking herself “for believing in myself, always giving my 100%, even when it’s tough, trying every day to be better as a person and as a player, believing that I can do this, fighting so many demons inside of me. “Only I know how tough it was for me,” Andreeva added. “How nervous I was throughout these two weeks.”Chwalinska was attempting to become the first qualifier to capture the Roland Garros title. 3 MIN READ 1 MIN READ 1 MIN READ Andreeva was born Siberia and moved to Sochi and eventually France to develop her tennis career.She drew a loud applause from the crowd on Court Philippe-Chatrier when she spoke a few words of French during the trophy presentation. “Thanks for your support today and over these past two marvellous weeks here in Paris,” Andreeva said. “It was very important for me.”Alexander Zverev plays Flavio Cobolli in the men’s final on Sunday to conclude the wildest Grand Slam in recent memory. Breakthrough at 15Andreeva has been considered a Grand Slam contender since she burst onto the scene as a 15-year-old at the 2023 Madrid Open, where she became the third youngest player to win a main draw match at a WTA 1000 tournament and made the quarterfinals.Lately, Andreeva has had to contend with playing under neutral status and without her country’s flag due to the war with Ukraine.When she beat Marta Kostyuk in the semifinals, Kostyuk refused to shake her hand, as has been the custom for Ukrainian players facing Russians ever since the war started in 2022.Andreeva has gone a step further than her coach, Conchita Martinez, who lost the 2000 French Open final to Mary Pierce.Pierce presented the winner’s trophy to Andreeva.Polish fan supportThe final was played under mostly sunny skies but wind was a factor in the first Grand Slam final for both player.Chwalinska double-faulted on the opening point of the match but she was the first player to hold serve in the fifth game for a 3-2 lead.But then Andreeva won nine stright games to take control as she found a way to hit through the wind and answer Chwalinska’s array of spins and drop shots.Andreeva produced 25 winners to Chwalinska’s 10 and also had fewer unforced errors: 26 to 29.There was a strong Polish presence in the crowd.When Chwalinska was introduced, fans held aloft red-and-white Polish flags and chanted her name: “Ma-ja, Ma-ja.”Andreeva had little support from the crowd, although there was a shout of “Davai Mirra!” (“Go Mirra”) in Russian late in the match. In men’s doubles, top-seeded Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos retained their title with a 6-4, 6-2 win against Harri Heliovaara and Henry Patten.AP Sports Writer Samuel Petrequin contributed to this report. Dampf has been a Rome-based sports writer at The AP for more than 20 years, covering soccer, tennis, Alpine skiing and many other events in Italy and beyond, including five soccer World Cups and 10 Olympics.