A star is born as Andreeva eases into Grand Slam winners' club

PARIS, June 6 : Mirra Andreeva announced herself as the latest member of the elite players in women's tennis on Saturday when she beat surprise finalist Maja Chwalinska 6-3 6-2 to become the youngest French Open champion in more than three decades.

The 19-year-old Russian, long regarded as one of the sport's brightest prospects, delivered on her promise on the biggest stage of all, claiming a maiden Grand Slam title and joining the select group of active major champions led by players such as Iga Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff.

In doing so, Andreeva became the youngest women's singles champion at Roland Garros since Monica Seles won her third consecutive title in Paris in 1992, a milestone that underlined the Russian's precocious talent and scale of her achievement.

While Chwalinska's remarkable run from qualifying captured the imagination and triggered praise from the greats of the game over the past fortnight, the final belonged to a player who increasingly looks equipped to shape the sport's future. 

As the 24-year-old Pole struggled to reproduce the tactical brilliance that had carried her through nine successive victories, Andreeva grew stronger with every game, imposing her power, absorbing the pressure and leaving little doubt that a new force has arrived at the top of the women's game.

Chwalinska, however, is now allowed to dream of joining the club. Despite her below-par performance in the final, she will now jump to 21st in the world rankings.

There was no sign of a change of guard in the men's doubles as Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos retained the title with a dominant 6-4 6-2 win over Harri Heliovaara and Henry Patten, claiming their third Grand Slam title as a pair.

Spaniard Granollers and