Russian teenager Mirra Andreeva reaches French Open final - ESPN

PARIS — Russian teenager Mirra Andreeva reached her first Grand Slam final by beating Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine 6-1, 6-3 at the French Open on Thursday.

Andreeva, 19, converted her first match point when serving for the match. There was no postmatch handshake between them, and Kostyuk walked off quickly, turning only to wave and blow kisses to the crowd on Court Philippe Chatrier, where some were fans draped in Ukrainian flags.

«I am happy that I am in my first-ever Grand Slam final. All of these feelings combined, it is amazing,» Andreeva said. «I just told myself, no matter what happens, I am going to fight and give my best. With this kind of mindset, I ended up winning.»

The atmosphere beforehand was somewhat tense as the players had separate photos taken as they each stood next to two children on their respective side of the net.

Usually the players pose for a single photo standing right next to each other by the net.

Kostyuk and countrywoman Oleksandra Oliynykova have spoken out during the tournament about the impact Russia's invasion of Ukraine is having on their country.

Later Thursday, the other semifinal featured left-handed players Diana Shnaider of Russia and Maja Chwalinska of Poland. Chwalinska came through three qualifying rounds and had never previously been beyond the second round at a major.

In the earlier match, Andreeva saved three break points at 0-40 in her opening service game, then raced to a 4-0 lead with a flurry of blistering forehand winners. There was a big cheer when Kostyuk held serve in the fifth game, but the Ukrainian then handed Andreeva the first set when her backhand hit the net.

Roof open and then closed

The semifinal began shortly after 3 p.m. amid sunny conditions and with an open