Russian teenager Mirra Andreeva reached her first Grand Slam final by defeating Ukraine's Marta Kostyuk 6-1, 6-3 in a tense encounter at the French Open on Thursday. The 19-year-old converted her first match point while serving for the match.

There was no post-match handshake between the players. Kostyuk quickly left the court, only waving and blowing kisses to the crowd at Court Philippe-Chatrier, where some fans displayed Ukrainian flags. The atmosphere was tense beforehand as the players took separate photos with children on their respective sides of the net, unlike the usual joint photo.

Kostyuk and her compatriot Oleksandra Oliynykova have spoken out during the tournament about the impact of Russia's four-year invasion of Ukraine on their country. The eighth-seeded Andreeva dominated from the start, overwhelming Kostyuk with depth and aggression, racing to a 4-0 lead in the first set and snuffing out any comeback hopes in the second.

“I’m still very nervous, very nervous coming to this match as she’s had an amazing season, she hadn’t lost on clay, so that put pressure,” said Andreeva. “She’s an amazing player, a tough opponent, so I’m super happy with the way I played. I’m happy I got revenge for the Madrid final, and to reach my first Grand Slam final.”

Andreeva will face either Russian Diana Shnaider or Polish qualifier Maja Chwalinska in the final. Earlier Thursday, top-seeded Italians Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori won the mixed doubles final. An Italian is guaranteed in the men's singles final on Sunday, with Flavio Cobolli facing Matteo Arnaldi.

Source: www.aljazeera.com