Maja Chwalinska walked off court in disbelief Thursday—and into the French Open history books. The 24-year-old Polish qualifier beat 25th seed Diana Shnaider 7-6 (4), 6-4 to reach the women's final at Roland Garros, becoming the first person ever to reach the final from the qualifying rounds in Paris and only the second at any Grand Slam, after Emma Raducanu's 2021 US Open run, the Guardian reports. She's dropped just one set in nine matches across qualifying and the main draw. "Like a dream, honestly. I don't know what's going on," she said afterward.
Chwalinska had just one previous main-draw Slam win to her name, a 2022 Wimbledon win, and had never cracked the top 100; she arrived in Paris ranked No. 114 and unsure she could even cover her hotel bill until a Polish beverage sponsor stepped in. The payday now: about $1.6 million, nearly double her total previous career earnings. If she wins on Saturday, her career earnings will double again with a $3.25 million prize and she will rocket up to No. 14 in the world rankings.
Against Shnaider, who had stunned world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the quarters, the 5-foot-5 Chwalinska leaned on craft, not power—mixing slices, drop shots, and angles to break her opponent's rhythm, the Guardian reports. "All the kudos to Maja. She played amazing," Shnaider said, per the AP. "She moves incredible on the court, she covers a lot. Even if you think that you won the point, she's there." Chwalinska will face another Russian player, 19-year-old No. 8 seed Mirra Andreeva, in Saturday's final. Chwalinska says she doesn't plan to change her routine before the game. "I'm going to drink my tea," she says.
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