French Open: Andreeva overpowers Kostyuk to secure finals berth

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

Mirra Andreeva’s first Grand Slam title is within reach after she swept Marta Kostyuk, 6-1, 6-3, to punch a finals ticket in the ongoing French Open tournament on June 4, 2026, at Court Philippe-Chatrier in Paris, France.

Heading into the semifinal round, Kostyuk was favored to win the highly anticipated showdown after winning the last head-to-head matches against Andreeva, including a 2-0 win in the Madrid Open several weeks ago.

However, Andreeva flipped the script, pulling off one of her most dominant wins in the ongoing French Open while extending her streak of not dropping a single set to four consecutive matches.

Already ahead by a double break in the first set, Andreeva never looked back and displayed masterful tennis by pinning the Ukrainian challenger behind the baseline.

Andreeva packed her groundstrokes with enough topspin to neutralize Kostyuk’s court coverage, doing so in convincing fashion after tallying 14 long-rally exchange points in the first set alone.

Aside from her baseline adjustments, Andreeva also wrapped up the showdown with more consistent service games compared with her quarterfinal win over Sorana Cirstea.

Andreeva took a 1-0 lead after pummeling a down-the-line forehand winner, followed by a net volley that landed on Kostyuk’s backhand side during the seventh game of the set.

Just when Kostyuk thought a risky serve-and-volley move could catch Andreeva off guard, the laser-focused Russian ace played a high lob to perfection to shrug off any tricky surprises.

Andreeva officially left Kostyuk behind after taking a 5-3 lead before scoring another break point to formalize her championship-round spot in France.

After the sweeping clinic, Andreeva wrapped up the lopsided semifinal win with 68 total points won, including two service aces, five break points, and 35 points on return.

Awaiting Andreeva in the grand finals is Polish star Maja Chwalinska, who took down Diana Shnaider in the other bracket’s semifinals, 7-6, 6-4.