Russian Mira Andreeva won the French Open, defeating Poland’s Maja Chwalinska 6:3, 6:2 in the final. This is the first Grand Slam title in Andreeva’s career. Roland Garros in 2026 turned out to be completely unpredictable: the main candidates in the men’s and women’s draws were eliminated without even reaching the semi-finals – and they lost the matches they were about to win. We tell you what happens in the tournament, which will conclude on June 7 with the men’s final.
Female category
Who should have won?
The victory of Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus was highly expected – she is the number one racket in the world, has four Grand Slam titles under her belt, and has yet to win Roland Garros. But in the quarter-finals, Sabalenka lost to Russian Diana Schneider (racket No. 23 in the world). The Belarusian tennis player won the first set 6:3 and led 4:1 in the second, but eventually lost the match with a score of 5:7. In the third group, Sabalenka did not play any match with a score of 0:6.
After the match, Sabalenka compared it to last year’s Roland Garros final, where she won the first set against American Cori Gauff, but lost the next two sets. “There are no thoughts, no emotions. I want to retire from tennis now,” the Belarusian tennis player said after the match with Schneider. This, of course, does not mean that Sabalenka has decided to end her career. She added in the same post-match press conference: “I have to sit and think about what is going through my head in these difficult situations. <…> “I hope I can cope with this.”
Who won?
19-year-old Mira Andreeva (eighth racket in the world) is now the best Russian tennis player. She went through the entire tournament with extreme confidence, dropping only one set in six matches. Russian athletes have not won Roland Garros since 2014, when Maria Sharapova won in Paris.
In the semi-finals, Andreeva defeated Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk. There was no traditional handshake after this match. The previous day, Kostyuk criticized Russian tennis players for not speaking out about Russia’s war with Ukraine. “If they want to avoid this topic, they will have to live with it, not with me,” the Ukrainian tennis player said. “What can I say? They chose a strategy for themselves.” <...> But I would like to see a clearer position on what is happening.”
Andreeva rarely spoke publicly about the war. She said she “don’t think too much about what’s going on in the world” when she plays tennis. At the same time, she added: “I can say that I am for peace. I just hope that everything that is happening now will be resolved soon.”
Andreeva’s competitor in the Roland Garros final, Polish Maya Chwalinskaya, ranked 114th in the world, began the tournament in the qualifying stage. Her result was the main sensation of the French Open. This is only the third Grand Slam tournament that Khvalynskaya has participated in, and to date she has never advanced beyond the second round.
Before the final, the Polish tennis player said she had difficulties paying for a hotel in Paris, and no one expected her to make it this far in the tournament. Reaching the final brought $1.6 million in prize money and nearly 100 places in the world rankings. Now she will be No. 21 in the world.
Male category
Who should have won?
Italian Jannik Sinner, the number one racket in the world and the undisputed favorite of Roland Garros, was eliminated in the second round, losing to Argentine Juan Manuel Cerundolo (the number 56 racket in the world). Sinner won the first two sets 6:3, 6:2 and led 5:1 in the third set. But he started losing one match after another, and in the end he lost the third match with a score of 5:7. Then he lost two more – 1: 6, 1: 6.
In the third set, Sinner took a medical break. He was complaining of nausea and dizziness. It was clear that he felt very bad – in all likelihood, he had suffered a heatstroke. It was hot in Paris on the day of the match. However, in the post-match press conference, Sinner said it was not the weather: he felt unwell in the morning. Not everyone believed this explanation: Sinner had a reputation as an athlete who couldn’t stand the heat.
Who (maybe) will win
The Roland Garros final in the men’s category will be held on June 7, in which the German Alexander Zverev (the third racket in the world) and the Italian Flavio Copoli (the fourteenth racket) will play in it. For Zverev, this is a unique opportunity to win his first Grand Slam title – so far he has reached the finals of the French Open, US Open and Australian Open, but always lost. Now his opponents are neither Jannik Sinner nor Carlos Alcaraz (the second racket in the world and the winner of Roland Garros last year). Alcaraz will not participate in the tournament this year due to injury.