Russian rising star Mira Andreyeva, 19, who competed under a neutral flag, decided the women's singles final at the French Open Roland Garros on Saturday in her favor.
The world number eight won logically and without any surprises after beating her Polish rival Maia Khavalinska in two sets without reply, details of (6-3) and (6-2).
Andreeva won her first title in the French capital, the first of her young professional career at the Grand Slam.
Artistic superiority of the Russian star
The final showed a clear technical superiority for the Russian star, despite some offensive glimpses from Khavalinska, the happy surprise of the tournament coming from the preliminary rounds.
The Polish player tried to hold on to the competition in the first set after losing her serve early, and even succeeded in reversing the break and taking a three-run lead to two, but the winds in the main court and the speed of Andreyeva's pace exposed the fragility of the Polish defences, with the Russian dominating the proceedings thanks to her powerful strikes from the back line and her decisive serve that ended Khavalinska's incredible career on the silver threshold.
A perfect march towards the prestigious trophy
With this victory, Andreeva ended a perfect and almost flawless career throughout the two weeks of the championship, as her journey was characterized by high mental and physical toughness, and throughout the knockout rounds, she conceded only one group that was in the second round of the championship competitions.
Thanks to this tactical stability, the young champion succeeded in avoiding the strategic traps set by her Polish opponent, consolidating her technical advantage and confirming her right to enter the mini-club and the elite of the Grand Slam titleholders in the world.
The sports community in Paris confirmed that Andreeva's competitive performance reflects a great maturity beyond her lifetime, as she dealt with the public and media pressures of the final with remarkable calmness, helped by the diversity of her style of play and her ability to move quickly on the back lines of the dirt courts, an advantage that gave her the advantage in deciding long and stressful points against Khavalinska, who gradually appeared to be physically exhausted as a result of playing a larger number of matches since the first qualifiers.
The glamour of Roland Garros and the clash of generations in women's tennis
This historic coronation for Mira Andreeva brings back memories of the legendary stars who launched their international glories from the dirt gates of Paris at a young age.
Roland Garros has historically been one of the toughest and most complex Grand Slams, as its red clay terrain slows down the speed of the ball and requires a long breath and exceptional physical endurance compared to grass or hard courts.
Experts and tennis analysts believe that a 19-year-old woman's win this year's title proves the radical change underway in the women's tennis map, as young talent continues to break the monopoly of traditional names and steadily move to the top of the world rankings.
The title puts Andreeva strategically positioned to usher in a new era of dominance, with a wide cross-section of pundits expecting the trophy to give her a huge morale boost to compete strongly for the upcoming Wimbledon grass tournament and to top the world rankings of professional women players in the coming seasons.