It's hard to beat the sensational tournament that was the 2026 Roland Garros. Both the men’s and women’s finals featured the top two seeds battling for the trophy, with Carlos Alcaraz miraculously winning the tournament against Jannik Sinner in a dramatic and historic match that lasted five hours and twenty nine minutes. This year, the French Open took a different turn as top players dropped like flies in early rounds and the underdogs persevered, hungry for a chance at glory. Meanwhile, the tennis world waited with bated breath for the drama of the tournament to unfold, as both the final matches this year promised a new first-time grand slam winner in this unexpected turn of events.

Mirra Andreeva def. Maja Chwalinska (6-3 6-2)

A document named “What has happened to Mirra Andreeva?!” has been sitting in my drafts for a while now after the player suffered a series of unexpected losses and emotional breakdowns on the court. As the defending champion of the Indian Wells tournament in March, she smashed her racket and cursed at the crowd after losing to an unseeded player. Tennis commentators called her childish, immature and emotional, it seemed that Andreeva still had some growing up to do. Who could’ve predicted that Mirra Andreeva would win her first grand slam final and become the 2026 Roland Garros champion two months later at only nineteen years old?

In 2024, sixteen year old Andreeva caught my attention when she broke through to the fourth round of the Australian Open, beating world number six Ons Jabeur en route. It was baffling to me how a young girl like herself could handle the pressure of playing against her idols in front of a huge audience at Rod Laver Arena. Since then, I’ve been keeping track of Andreeva’s career, cheering along when she won her first title later that year and in 2025, when she won back-to-back Master 1000 titles and entered the top ten rankings.

In Paris, Andreeva comfortably won against her opponents in the first few rounds, despite other seeded players making unexpected early exits in the tournament. As she faced Marta Kostyuk in the semi-final, Andreeva performed brilliantly, adapting to the wind and staying calm even when she was displeased about the closure of the roof and her concentration briefly dipped in the second set. She won the match in two sets, entering a grand slam final for the first time in her career. 

On Saturday, Maja Chwalinksa of Poland stood on the other side of the court after winning nine consecutive matches as a qualifier to reach the final, a historic first in Roland Garros history. Previously ranked 114, Chawlinska’s fairytale run had been awe-inspiring as she stunned seeded players with her unconventional playstyle. While I still rooted for Andreeva to win the tournament and firmly establish her place as a top player, I would be equally happy if Chwalinksa got to lift the trophy. For the Polish player, reaching the final has catapulted her to the top twenty in rankings, and her prize money would secure her travel and accommodation costs for future tournaments. If she were to win Roland Garros, she would no longer be an unsponsored, unknown player, her name would (literally) be etched in tennis history.

It was refreshing and exhilarating to watch a grand slam final between two players who had never even reached a major final before. While the score may suggest otherwise, there were times when the two athletes tussled to win a point, and the strangely high amount of moonballs made the match weirdly exciting. Ultimately, it was Andreeva’s composure, skill and experience that won her the match and the tournament. As she collapsed to the floor after winning the last point, the arena and my living room erupted in cheers. Mirra Andreeva is a grand slam champion!

What has always drawn me to Andreeva is her bold, youthful and cheeky energy that is fostered by the supportive team that she surrounds herself with. The relationship between Andreeva and her coach and mentor Conchita Martinez, who has been instrumental in her success, is especially wonderful to witness, given the numerous stories of toxic and abusive coaches from young female players. Andreeva may still be a temperamental teenager at times, but it is clear that she has a nurturing environment that will allow her to grow into the player she is meant to be and more. As it had become tradition for the other titles that she had won, Andreeva said at the end of her winner’s speech: “I would like to thank myself.” While her catchphrase may have started as a joke, she earnestly acknowledged all that she had achieved in this tournament and thanked herself for all the work she had put in to make her dream come true. 

At nineteen years old, this is just the beginning of Andreeva’s career, and I cannot wait to see where she goes next.

Alexander Zverev def. Flavio Cobolli (6-1 4-6 6-4 6-7(5-7) 6-1)

I was feeling nauseous on Sunday night when it was time for the men’s final, not only because I had been hit with the biannual bouts of SWOTVAC illness, but because of the realisation that Alexander Zverev had a very real chance of finally winning a grand slam. Representing Germany, Zverev is currently ranked third in men’s tennis. He had been consistently dominant in the tournament and he was projected to win against twelve seed Flavio Cobolli from Italy. However, many, including myself, dreaded to see Zverev celebrated as a champion because of the uneasy accusations of domestic abuse which have been made by two of his previous partners.

In 2020, a German court issued a penalty fine order against Zverev for allegedly pushing his former partner, Brenda Patea, against a wall and strangling her after an argument. Zverev contested the order, and the case was finally settled with the monetary condition of €200,000 from Zverev to “shorten the proceedings” in 2024. According to the court, “the decision is not a verdict and it is not a decision about guilt or innocence.” Another woman, Olya Sharypova had also come forward in 2020 to accuse Zverev of physical abuse over the course of their relationship, including allegedly punching her in the face and smothering her with a pillow. After Sharypova’s allegations, the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) launched an independent investigation and found “insufficient evidence to substantiate published allegations of abuse”. No disciplinary action had been taken by the ATP, and Zverev has continued to compete on the tour, reaching a career-high ranking of number two in men’s singles in 2022.

Sports journalist Ben Rothenburg described the uncomfortable anticipation of Zverev’s victory in Paris as “a series of deep, resigned sighs”. It felt inevitable, he is a top player after all. Even if he lost in the final, he would still be given a platform to celebrate and be celebrated as a finalist. The issue does not lie with his chances to lift the trophy, but the fact that a man accused of such serious crimes is allowed to play at all.

On TV, commentators praised Zverev’s tenacity, which allowed him to reach another major final despite the hardships he has faced in his career. There was zero mention or allusion to his allegations on the televised broadcasts. I decided to go to bed after Zverev won his second set.

At the end, Zverev did become the champion of the French Open men’s singles on Sunday. Roland Garros hailed his “glorious triumph” on their official website, celebrating his win after his three previous grand slam final losses. Tennis stars past and present, including Carlos Alcaraz and Billie Jean King, also congratulated Zverev on his victory. However, the accusations made against him cannot be shaken off so easily in some instances. For the first time since 2005, the men’s singles winner was not at the centre of the frontpage of French sports paper L’Équip. Instead, a small image of Zverev was relegated to the upper corner, while the women’s handball team, who won the European championship, dominated the cover. According to a reporter of L’Équipe, an interview with Zverev suddenly turned sour when the reporter brought up the public and the media’s persistent attention to his domestic abuse allegations. Zverev and his team were displeased by the reporter’s questions, and the interview ended in “icy silence”. As the champion, Zverev brought home a hefty €2,800,000, making the mere €200,000 he paid to settle his trial seem insignificant in comparison.

It's ironic how the tennis world can go from championing the success of young women one day to debating the polarising conduct of an alleged abuser the next. The tennis world also does not exist in a vacuum. Zverev’s case is reflective of how society continues to allow men to succeed and flourish without being held accountable for the violence they have inflicted upon women. After all, in a world where an alleged rapist was elected as president in the U.S., perhaps it isn’t too far of a stretch for an alleged domestic abuser to also become a grand slam champion.