French Open 2026 results: Qualifier Maja Chwalinska sets up final against Mirra Andreeva
Less than five years ago, Chwalinska was considering quitting tennis altogether.
Pole credited the support of people around her and fellow players like Naomi Osaka speaking openly about their mental health for helping her slowly return to the tennis court as she struggled with depression.
Chwalinska, who has not won a Grand Slam main-rule match since Wimbledon in 2022 and failed in 12 of 14 qualifying attempts, said after beating Anna Kalinskaya in the quarter-finals that her goal in Paris was only to get the main draw.
How he achieved a nine-match winning streak on Parisian soil, despite losing only one set along the way, is a mystery to him as much as to everyone else.
This was against former world number three Maria Sakkari; Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen and third-place Elise Mertens also could not deny the courageous underdogs.
Perhaps even more remarkable is that Chwalinska not only copes with the pressure of competing on one of the sport’s biggest stages, she thrives on it.
The pole played with infectious freedom and joyful creativity, further endearing him to the Roland Garros crowd on Thursday evening that convinced him to pursue a once-unthinkable dream.
But Chwalinska also proved her mettle against Shnaider, winner of world number one Aryna Sabalenka; He recovered from 4–2 down in the first set tiebreak and scored a goal before securing an uneventful victory in the ninth game of the second set.
While his goal this year is to break into the world’s top 100, he is now expected to climb to 21st and move up to 100th if he lifts the trophy.
He is also guaranteed to walk away with £1.2 million in prize money, rising to £2.4 million with victory, having come just 17 days ago with total career earnings of £642,400.
