Dream closer to reality as composed Andreeva nears first major title

PARIS, June 4 : Mirra Andreeva moved to within touching distance of her maiden Grand Slam title at the French Open, marking the culmination of a long-held dream, with the Russian teenager’s newfound composure fuelling her run in Paris.

The 19-year-old has also shown maturity beyond her years, negotiating a politically-charged semi-final against Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk to seal a 6-1 6-3 victory on Thursday, with only qualifier Maja Chwalinska standing between her and the title.

"I never actually thought that I'd be able to win, I don't know, big tournaments, or be in a Grand Slam final. It was just all my dreams, everything that I have been dreaming of," Andreeva told reporters.

"I would say that this is, I don't know how other players think about it, but for me personally it's like the number one goal in my life. The most important thing. I wouldn't think I would be very close to that.

"But now I am, so I'm very excited, very happy about it. But at that time, I wouldn't think that it would happen."

Under coach Conchita Martinez, Andreeva has embraced clear gameplans and steadily translated her talent into results on the biggest stages, including a run to the Roland Garros quarter-finals 12 months ago.

While she tearfully imploded in that clash with local hope Lois Boisson and earned a warning for ball abuse after launching one into the stands in frustration, Andreeva has cut a more composed figure this year.

"I've been trying to work on being more calm, more positive. I'm very focused, and recently, I've been trying to do a lot of different stuff," Andreeva added.

"Maybe now I've found what's been working well for me, and I'm really trying to stick to that and do it every match that I play every time. So far it's been working