French Open 2026: No.8 seed Mirra Andreeva comprehensively outplayed Marta Kotsyuk in the French Open 2026 semi-final on June 4, Thursday to make it to her first Grand Slam final. Winning 6-1, 6-3 in straight sets, the Russian Tennis star ended 15th seed Kotsyuk’s 17-match winning streak to progress to the tournament-decider. In the process, Andreeva also secured her first win over the Ukranian in three meetings. There was also one striking moment after the match as both players didn’t shake hands.
French Open 2026: Mirra Andreeva breaks a handful of records after making to her first Grand Slam final
Having beaten her opponent in straight sets, Andreeva, the 19-year-old, is the third-youngest player to reach the Roland Garros final in the 21st century behind 18-year-old Coco Gauff in 2022 and 17-year-old Kim Clijsters in 2001. Furthermore, Andreeva is also the youngest player to reach any Grand Slam final since Gauff’s run to the Roland Garros final four years ago. Having reached the final now, Andreeva will continue first teenage Slam champion since Gauff accomplished the feat at the 2023 US Open.
Coming into the match, Andreeva hadn’t beaten her opponent, losing twice in Brisbane quarterfinals in January and in the Madrid final six weeks ago. Although Andreeva did not enter Roland Garros on a winning streak, she had secured more clay-court victories this year than Kostyuk, with a record of 20 to 17. In April, she captured her second title of the year in Linz and subsequently advanced to the semifinals in Stuttgart, the finals in Madrid, and the quarterfinals in Rome. Now, she follows in the footsteps of her coach, Conchita Martínez, the 2000 Roland Garros runner-up to Mary Pierce, as she advances to the final. In the process, the teenage prodigy will also feature in her eight career-tour final and fourth on clay surface?
French Open 2026: Why didn’t Mirra Andreeva and Marta Kotsyuk shake hands after the match?
The no-handshake policy between the two players was on the cards even before the match got underway. The reason behind the same is owing to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the continuing conflict among the two countries. Kostyuk has reportedly taken a stance consistently against shaking hands with players from those countries and it continued following the French Open semi-final.
Kostyuk has been particularly vocal about not wanting to shake hands with Russian players and used the social media platforms to spread awareness.
