Despite her magical run ending at the French Open final on Saturday, Maja Chwalinska remained graceful in defeat, remembering to give her opponent, Mirra Andreeva, her due credit. The Pole was understandably disappointed in losing the final, but that did not stop her from beginning her speech with light-hearted humor for her opponent.

“First of all congratulations to Mirra, you are such an incredible player, you are so young and talented, it’s so annoying”, Chwalinska said during the presentation ceremony. The Pole’s comment held both humor and appreciation for her opponent. She did not forget to send felicitations to the Russian and her team, “congrats to you and your team for an amazing job and I wish you all the best for the future”, added Chwalinska.

The Pole’s use of the terms ” young and talented was not amiss as Andreeva became the youngest women’s player to win the title at Roland Garros since the triumph of Monica Seles back in 1992, when the former WTA great was 18. Two years ago, the Russian had already shown her mettle as a 17-year-old as she reached the semifinal in Paris, which included a win over Aryna Sabalenka.

Coming into the match against an opponent who was an underdog, it was always going to be a battle between Andreeva’s mentality and Maja Chwalinska’s patient game style, including long rallies, a test that the Russian player passed with flying colors. What was most intriguing was that the Pole was beaten by her own game style in the match, the same one that had made her so effective against other opponents during her three-week run in Paris.

Mirra Andreeva Beat Maja Chwalinska at the Pole’s Own Game

The final saw a slight change in tactics from both players, as Maja Chwalinska went for shorter rallies, while Andreeva was willing to be patient. Despite the match starting with multiple breaks of serve, the Russian player did not panic and was ready for the Pole’s attacks. The match was an example of how preparation is key, as Andreeva was alert to the Pole’s drop shots and quick to anticipate the qualifier’s net approaches, neutralizing them with her own excellent slice shots.

Andreeva was even willing to get in longer rallies, where both players were hitting high shots, and it was the Russian player who was at her defensive best, making the Pole miss her forehand shots. After she secured the first set 6-3, the Russian player switched to an aggressive style, hitting winners to save break points, and went 5-0 up.

As for Chwalinska, the accumulated fatigue of the last three weeks seemed to be catching up to her as she went for power shots on the baseline, leading to many unforced errors. Once Andreeva got hold of her touch play, the Pole simply did not have the legs and to counter the Russian’s attacks, especially with her not having a point-winning first serve.

Post this victory, it remains to be seen if this win will act as the launchpad for Andreeva for more Grand Slam glory in the future. On the other hand, Chwalinska, who had struggled to pay for her hotel during her campaign in Paris, will now have the opportunity to play at the biggest stages of sport with a brand new ranking of 21, and all eyes will be on Wimbledon to see if the Pole receives a wildcard or will have to come from qualifying to play at the grass-court Slam.