Mirra Andreeva crushes Marta Kostyuk, reaches Roland Garros final | OneFootball

The Ukrainian left the court without greeting her rival. The Russian saw her off with applause as she exited Roland Garros.

The full extent of Mirra Andreeva’s tennis — the kind she had not quite managed to find so far this year, bringing her to tears of frustration more than once — appeared at just the right moment and in the right place as she overwhelmed Marta Kostyuk in straight sets, 6-1 and 6-3, to book her place in what will be her first Roland Garros final.

Although the Russian reached the semifinals as the higher-ranked player, sitting eighth in the WTA rankings, it was Marta Kostyuk, world No. 15, who came in as the favorite thanks to the excellent level she had shown not only in the tournament but throughout the entire clay-court season, during which she was unbeaten after winning titles in Rouen and Madrid.

But the pressure of playing in a first Grand Slam final, which both carried, weighed far more heavily on the Ukrainian, who lost effectiveness on her first serve to the point of landing below 50 percent, allowing Andreeva to break her early and repeatedly and take the first set in crushing fashion, 6-1.

The Russian also took an early lead in the second set and when Kostyuk finally earned her only break of the match to get back within reach, she responded immediately to shut down any comeback attempt and won 6-3 to secure the victory.

Just as at the start of the match, the Ukrainian left the court without greeting her rival. Andreeva, by contrast, took the time to applaud her along with the crowd as she walked off. “I told myself that no matter what happened, I was going to fight and give my best. If she won, she would have to work very hard for it. With that mindset, I ended up winning,” said the 19-year-old tennis player immediately afterward.

Why was the semifinal between Andreeva and Kostyuk so special?

The Roland Garros semifinal between Mirra Andreeva and Marta Kostyuk was not only special because both were seeking to reach their first Grand Slam final, but also because it was marked by the war between Russia and Ukraine, which in recent days has once again reached extremely high levels of tension.

Kostyuk, in fact, has long taken, like some of her compatriots, the firm stance of not greeting Russian players who do not openly speak out against the invasion of her country, which began on a large scale in February 2022. She even referred to the conflict after defeating Svitolina in the quarterfinals and cried for the victims of the latest Russian attack. “We had a very difficult night again in Ukraine, especially in Kyiv. So many people dead. I want to dedicate this match to the Ukrainian people and their resilience. Thank you,” she said.

Mirra Andreeva, on the other hand, has always tried to stay away from making any statements about the war, although she has been criticized for receiving honors from Russian President Vladimir Putin. Last year, however, she did say she was in favor of an end to the conflict when asked about it.

“When I play tennis, I focus on that and don’t think about anything else. I try to get better every day and enjoy my life. I can say that I am in favor of peace and hope everything is resolved soon,” were the words of the newly minted Roland Garros finalist.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.