'First since Sharapova' 19-year-old Russian Empress born... New era of women's tennis opens, Andreyeva wins French Open

*This content was translated by AI.

A new queen of tennis has been born. Mira Andreyeva (19, world No. 8), a Russian national born in 2007, has claimed the title at the world-renowned French Open.

On the 6th (Korean time), Andreyeva defeated Poland's Maya Hvalinskaya (world No. 114) 2-0 (6-3, 6-2) in the women's singles final of the 2026 French Open held at Roland Garros in Paris, France, to secure the championship.

With this victory, Andreyeva has etched her name as the youngest French Open women's singles champion since the 'legend' Monica Seles. Seles rose to the top of the French Open at age 16 in 1990 and achieved a three-peat until 1992. Andreyeva has become the youngest player to win the French Open women's singles since Seles, who was 18 in 1992.

With this win, Andreyeva has reached the pinnacle of a major tournament for the first time in her career. Andreyeva, who started playing tennis at age 6, has consistently achieved results on the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) tour, but this is her first Grand Slam title.

Andreyeva first began to attract serious attention by reaching the third round at the 2023 French Open. Later that same year, she advanced to the fourth round at Wimbledon, and in the 2024 French Open, she reached the semifinals, proving her rapid growth. At the 2024 Paris Olympics, she also won a silver medal in women's doubles alongside Diana Schneider (Russia).

Andreyeva, who has continued her steady upward trajectory, has finally added a major tournament victory to her career. This win also holds deep significance for her home country, Russia. Andreyeva is the first Russian female player to reach the summit of a Grand Slam since Maria Sharapova won the French Open in 2014.

Andreyeva competed in this tournament as a neutral athlete without displaying the Russian flag due to the fallout from the Russia-Ukraine war. In the semifinals, she faced Ukraine's Marta Kostyuk and emerged victorious. After the match, Kostyuk did not shake hands with Andreyeva. Ukrainian players have continued the practice of not shaking hands with Russian players after matches since the outbreak of the war in 2022.

Andreyeva also surpassed the achievement of her coach and former Wimbledon champion, Conchita Martínez (Spain). Coach Martínez had reached the final and finished as runner-up at the 2000 French Open. Coincidentally, it was Marie Piers (Canada), who defeated Martínez in the final back then, who presented the championship trophy to Andreyeva this time.

With this victory, Andreyeva also secured a prize money of 3.22 million dollars, which amounts to approximately 5 billion won in Hanwha currency.

On the other hand, Hvalinskaya, the 'storm's protagonist' of this tournament, had to settle for the runner-up position after losing in the final. Nevertheless, her run was the Cinderella story of this French Open. Hvalinskaya advanced from the third qualifying round to the main draw, then sequentially defeated formidable competitors to reach the final.

Hvalinskaya has etched her name as the first player in French Open women's singles history to reach the final after going through the qualifying rounds. Competing at world No. 114, her sudden rise has instantly made her name known to tennis fans worldwide.

The runner-up prize money is also substantial. Hvalinskaya will receive 1.61 million dollars (approximately 2.5 billion won) through this tournament. Her world ranking is also expected to rise significantly from 114th to 21st.

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*This content was translated by AI.