Russian tennis player Mirra Andreeva, at the age of 19, won the first Grand Slam trophy in her career. On Saturday, June 6, she beat Poland's Maja Chwalinska in two sets in the final of the French Open (Roland Garros).
As The Athletic notes, the competition in the match was short-lived, and Andreeva managed in the first set to find a counterbalance to the various strikes and hooks of the 24-year-old Polish tennis player, who is ranked 114th in the WTA (Women's Tennis Association) rankings. The Russian woman took the initiative after several mistakes by Khvalinskaya, and the game ended with a score of 6-3, 6-2 in favor of the native of Krasnoyarsk.
At the time of the final, Andreeva was the 8th racket in the world among women (the best record among Russians), but for both athletes the final was the first in the Grand Slam tournaments – the four most prestigious in tennis.
“You are a difficult opponent, I wouldn’t want to play with you again,” Andreeva jokingly noted during the presentation of the trophy.
The opponent responded with her own joke, saying that the Russian woman was “to blame for her defeat,” since she plays very well and generally causes her “irritation.”
“You are so young and talented, it’s very annoying,” Khvalinskaya retorted.
Andreeva added that winning Roland Garros was a dream for her, since she “followed the tournament on TV since childhood.” Before winning the Grand Slam, Andreeva held five titles on the WTA Tour.
The last time Maria Sharapova won Roland Garros among Russians was in 2014. She remains the youngest winner of the tournament in the 21st century – in 2004, Sharapova won it for the first time at the age of 17.
The victory in France allowed Andreeva to take first place in points in the WTA championship race. The seven best singles tennis players by this indicator will be invited to the WTA Finals in November in Riyadh (Saudi Arabia).
