Contrasting paths, same destination - who will win French Open final?

Image source, Getty Images Image caption, Mirra Andreeva (left) is eighth in the world rankings, while opponent Maja Chwalinska is down at 114 By Jonathan Jurejko BBC Sport tennis news reporter at Roland Garros Published 5 June 2026 The career trajectories of French Open finalists Mirra Andreeva and Maja Chwalinska could not be more contrasting. Russian eighth seed Andreeva is a teenage sensation who earned her first WTA Tour win as a 15-year-old in 2023, reaching the Wimbledon fourth round just two months later. Becoming a Grand Slam champion has felt like a question of when, and not if, ever since. "I'm getting closer - I'm getting a little bit more mature with every match I play," said 19-year-old Andreeva. Qualifier Chwalinska's path to Saturday's showpiece at Roland Garros has been less predictable. The 24-year-old from Poland has never received direct entry into the main draw of a major and had only come through Grand Slam qualifying in two of her previous 14 attempts. With little pedigree, 114th-ranked Chwalinska's breakthrough is a lesson in what can be achieved through dedication and perseverance. "I feel like I'm in the bubble. I don't know what's going on. I'm just very happy to be here," said Chwalinska, who was a 500-1 outsider at the start of the tournament. The teenage sensation benefitting from growing maturity What Andreeva has achieved over the past fortnight is underlined by the historical statistics. The third-youngest Roland Garros finalist this century behind 18-year-old Coco Gauff in 2022 and 17-year-old Kim Clijsters in 2001, Andreeva is bidding to become the youngest French Open champion since Monica Seles in 1992. Born in Siberia and trained in France, Andreeva has been touted for greatness since her breakthrough at the 2023 Madrid Open - where her talent and fearlessness led to praise from Andy Murray. Her progress has accelerated since appointing former Wimbledon champion Conchita Martinez as her coach in 2024. Spain's Martinez says it was clear from the moment she started working with Andreeva that she was a star in the making. 'If I won then so can she' - the Wimbledon champion nurturing Andreeva Published 7 July 2025 After reaching the French Open semi-finals two years ago, Andreeva continued to make great strides in 2025, winning two WTA 1000 titles and cracking the world's top five. A tempestuous streak on the court has, however, served as a reminder of her tender age. Some of her behaviour - notably swiping away balls towards the crowd - has come close to crossing the line and she combusted against home wildcard Lois Boisson in a febrile French Open quarter-final last year. But the calm manner in which she powered past Ukrainian 15th seed Marta Kostyuk in Thursday's semi-finals - a match played against a backdrop of political tension - was a sign of her increasing maturity. "At some points, I was listening [to Martinez], but at the same time sticking to what I had been doing," said Andreeva, who has not faced a t