Russian teenager Andreeva beats Kostyuk to reach French Open final

Mirra Andreeva is the youngest women's singles Grand Slam finalist since Coco Gauff at the French Open in 2022

>Russian teenager Mirra Andreeva reached her first Grand Slam final with a dominant victory over Ukraine's Marta Kostyuk at the French Open.

>A beaten semi-finalist in 2024, Andreeva was hugely impressive throughout her 6-1 6-3 victory and will await compatriot Diana Shnaider, the 25th seed, or Polish qualifier Maja Chwalinska in Saturday's final.

>The 19-year-old is third-youngest woman to reach the Roland Garros showpiece this century, after an 18-year-old Coco Gauff in 2022 and 17-year-old Kim Clijsters in 2001.

>Should she prevail, Andreeva would become the third-youngest first-time Grand Slam champion this century, after Maria Sharapova and Emma Raducanu.

>"I am still very, very nervous. I was nervous coming into this match," Andreeva said.

>"All of these feelings combined, it is amazing - I have never felt anything like this before."

>Russia's invasion of Ukraine provided an unavoidable backdrop to the contest, with Kostyuk regularly denouncing the war since it began in February 2022 - and being highly critical of athletes from Russia who have failed to do so.

>In keeping with the stance taken by Ukrainian players over the past four years, Kostyuk did not take a pre-match photo with Andreeva, and the players did not shake hands afterwards.

>French Open: Qualifier Chwalinska faces Shnaider for place in final - listen & follow

>Sabalenka lets another golden Slam opportunity slip

>Andreeva is only at the start of her career - and this victory means she is the first player born since 2005 to reach a major singles final.

>However, she has long been tipped for Grand Slam success, with this her second semi-final appearance at Roland Garros after a loss in 2024.

>On that occasion two years ago, an unseeded 17-year-old Andreeva, then the youngest Grand Slam semi-finalist since Martina Hingis at the 1997 US Open, was visibly emotional as the match ran away from her.

>This in contrast, was a performance marked by maturity.

>Even when Kostyuk briefly threatened a fightback by breaking back in the second set, Andreeva reset and won back-to-back games to close out the match after 76 minutes.

>That was all the more impressive given Kostyuk is the in-form player on the WTA Tour, boasting an unrivalled 17-match unbeaten streak on the clay this season.

>But no player has amassed more wins on clay (21) - or indeed overall (35) - than Andreeva in 2026.

>Now, following the shock exit of world number one Aryna Sabalenka on Wednesday, the eighth seed will believe this is her time after overcoming an opponent who had beaten her in straight sets in both their previous meetings this year.

>The crowd heavily backed Ukraine's Marta Kostyuk

>Despite the blustery conditions, Andreeva was solid from the baseline and stubborn in defence - committing far fewer unforced errors (22) than her opponent (34), who was unable to hit the heights of her emotional all-Ukrainian quarter-final against Elina Svitolina.

>She withstood break points in her opening service game as she raced into a 4-0 lead, and might have wrapped up the set sooner had Kostyuk not managed to escape five break points in the fifth game.

>Holding her nerve to come through an early break point in the second set, Andreeva effectively shut out the crowd as the majority urged on Kostyuk and ensured her opponent's revival midway through the second set was short-lived.

>Having dropped only one set - in her comeback second-round win against Spaniard Marina Bassols Ribera - across her six victories so far, conceding only 32 games overall - less than six per match.

>The nature of this latest performance means Andreeva will walk out as the favourite on Saturday.

>"Until this match, she has not lost a match on clay. She is an amazing player and a very tough opponent, and I am super happy with the way I played today," Andreeva said of Kostyuk.

>"I told myself to accept everything that happens on the court and no matter what happens, I am going to fight and give my best.

>"With this kind of mindset, I ended up winning the match."