Mirra Andreeva crushes Marta Kostyuk to reach 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 — which she had not quite managed to find so far this year, bringing her to tears more than once out of frustration — appeared at just the right time and in the right place as she beat Marta Kostyuk with absolute authority in straight sets, 6-1 and 6-3, to book 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 outstanding level she had been showing not only in the tournament but throughout the entire clay-court season, during which she had remained unbeaten after winning titles in Rouen and Madrid.

But the pressure of playing in a first Grand Slam final weighed far more heavily on the Ukrainian, who lost effectiveness on her first serve to the point of landing under 50 percent, allowing Andreeva to break her quickly 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 managed her only break of the match to get back within reach, Andreeva responded immediately to shut down any comeback attempt and won 6-3 to seal 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 alongside 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 was going to win, 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 trying 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, long ago took, like some of her compatriots, the firm position 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 beating Svitolina in the quarterfinals and cried for the victims of the latest Russian attack. “We had another very difficult night 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 ending 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 new Roland Garros finalist.

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