Mirra Andreeva Crowned Youngest Champion Since Seles, Overpowers Fairy-Tale Qualifier Chwalińska

Andreeva’s dominance was a continuation of her form throughout the tournament. She dropped only one set across seven matches . In the semifinals, she dismantled Ukraine's Marta Kostyuk 6-1, 6-3, snapping Kostyuk's 17-match winning streak .

Prize Money at the 2026 French Open

Victory came with the biggest payday of Andreeva’s young career. As champion, she took home €2.8 million (approximately $3.25 million) . Chwalińska earned €1.4 million (approximately $1.6 million) as runner-up, a life-changing sum for a player who previously amassed roughly $861,000 in career prize money grinding on the lower-tier circuits .

(Source for figures: tournament officials )

Chwalińska’s Unforgettable, Improbable Run

Maja Chwalińska arrived in Paris ranked world No. 114 with only one Grand Slam main-draw win to her name (Wimbledon 2022) . She left as only the second qualifier in the Open Era to reach a Grand Slam singles final, following Emma Raducanu’s 2021 US Open victory . Chwalińska won nine consecutive matches—three in qualifying and six in the main draw—to get there. Along the way, she beat Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen and No. 23 seed Elise Mertens in straight sets, the first top-50 wins of her career .

Her backstory captivated the grounds of Roland Garros. Chwalińska is the daughter of a coal miner from Dąbrowa Górnicza in southern Poland . She stepped away from the sport entirely after a first-round qualifying loss at Wimbledon in 2021, later revealing she had been battling severe depression since the end of 2019. At her lowest point, she said she felt “lifeless” and “couldn't get out of bed anymore” . A knee surgery in 2022 further complicated her return, but she slowly rebuilt her ranking from a low of No. 523 .

During the tournament, she admitted she hadn’t booked a hotel for the second week because she hadn’t expected to survive the first . As a junior in 2017, she partnered with a then-unknown Iga Świątek to reach the Australian Open girls’ doubles final; while Świątek became a global star, Chwalińska disappeared into the sport's margins until this spring .

Political Undercurrents Run Through the Tournament

The women’s singles draw unfolded against the ongoing war in Ukraine. Russian and Belarusian players competed under neutral status, without national flags displayed on official materials . The political tension was most visible in the semifinals.

Andreeva’s opponent, Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk, has been one of the most vocal critics of Russian participation in the sport. Kostyuk has previously refused mandatory post-match handshakes with Russian players. The matchup between the Russian teenager and the Ukrainian star on Court Philippe-Chatrier carried unmistakable symbolism, though the tennis itself was one-sided. Andreeva dismissed her 6-1, 6-3, ending Kostyuk’s momentum and advancing without incident .

In the final, Andreeva faced a Polish opponent. Poland has been a crucial ally to Ukraine and a hub for Ukrainian refugees since the invasion. The combination of geopolitical backdrops—Russian champion defeating a Ukrainian semifinalist and a Polish finalist—added layers to an already historic run without ever spilling into open confrontation on the court .

A Champion Arrives for the Long Haul

At 19 years and 1 month old, Andreeva is the youngest French Open women’s singles champion in 34 years . She first signaled her clay-court ceiling two years earlier with a breakout semifinal run in Paris, and her 2026 title confirms that early flash was no fluke. The tennis world will now watch as she heads to Wimbledon with a Grand Slam trophy and the clear expectation of more to come.