PARIS, June 2. /TASS/. Russian teen Mirra Andreeva stormed into the semifinals of the 2026 French Open on Tuesday as she defeated Romania’s Sorana Cirstea in straight sets.

The 8th-seeded Andreeva, who is playing under a neutral status at the tournament, breezed past her 18th-seeded opponent from Romania 6-0; 6-3 and is now set to face off in the next round against the winner of another quarterfinals match between Ukrainian players Elina Svitolina (7th-seed) and Marta Kostyuk (15th-seed).

Andreeva, 19, is currently 8th in the WTA (Women’s Tennis Association) Rankings and she is a five-time WTA champion. Her best finish at Grand Slams was at the 2024 French Open when she reached the semifinals. In 2023, the WTA named Andreeva rookie of the year. Playing at the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris, she won a silver medal in women’s doubles paired with Diana Shnaider.

One of tennis’ four Grand Slam events, the 2026 French Open takes place in Paris, nicknamed the "City of Light," between May 24 and June 7. The tournament is played on outdoor clay courts at the Stade Roland Garros. Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz and Coco Gauff from the United States are the tournament’s reigning champions on the men's and women's sides respectively.

Russian and Belarusian players’ neutral status at tennis tournaments

On February 28, 2022, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) issued recommendations to international sports federations to bar athletes from Russia and Belarus from taking part in international tournaments, citing Moscow's special military operation in Ukraine as the reason.

Following the IOC's recommendations in late February 2022, the majority of global sports federations moved to exclude athletes from Russia and Belarus from all international sports tournaments.

The International Tennis Federation (ITF) ruled on March 1, 2022, to suspend the membership of the Russian and Belarusian national tennis federations while also canceling all previously scheduled tennis tournaments in the two countries.

On March 14, 2022, the ITF also confirmed its prohibition on the Russian and Belarusian national tennis teams from participating in the 2022 Davis Cup and the 2022 Billie Jean King Cup.