Mirra Andreeva defeats Marta Kostyuk to reach French Open final

In the French Open semi-finals held on Thursday in Paris, 19-year-old Russian eighth seed Mirra Andreeva defeated Ukrainian 15th seed Marta Kostyuk with a score of 6-1, 6-3. Andreeva dominated the match from the beginning, reaching her maiden Grand Slam final where she will face either Diana Shnaider or Maja Chwalinska. This was the third career meeting between the two players, with Kostyuk having won both previous matches earlier this year. In line with her established practice since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, Kostyuk did not pose for a pre-match photograph with her opponent and declined a handshake at the net. Kostyuk, who previously reached the semi-finals after an all-Ukrainian match against Elina Svitolina, has frequently spoken about the impact of the war on her and her country. Andreeva expressed satisfaction with her performance and her ability to overcome the pressure of the match. The tournament officials noted that this was the first time since 2016 that the French Open featured two first-time singles finalists in the same year.