Maja Chwalinska adds another astonishing chapter to her very own French Open fairy tale: The Polish player has actually reached the final!
The sensational run continues: Polish tennis player Maja Chwalinska has reached the French Open final and is only the second qualifier ever to reach a Grand Slam final.
On Thursday, the 24-year-old also defeated Russian Diana Schnaider, who is coached by German trainer Sascha Bajin, 7-6 (7-4), 6-4. Before Chwalinska, the only qualifier to achieve such a run was Britain’s Emma Raducanu, who even won the title at the 2021 US Open.
“It’s a dream, honestly. I don’t know what’s going on here,” said Chwalinska, completely dumbfounded after the match: “I don’t know what to say. Sorry, I’m just so happy.”
Boris Becker: “A star is born”
Although she doesn’t feel great physically or mentally after nearly three weeks in the tournament, she now wants to enjoy this amazing moment: “It’s a Grand Slam; you have to give everything and more. I’m not complaining.”
As is so often the case, Chwalinska appeared very focused and calm on the outside. But inside, “a storm” was raging, she explained with a shy smile.
“A star is born. Anyone who predicted this final a few weeks ago has just hit the jackpot,” TV expert Boris Becker said on Eurosport.
For the world No. 114, who made it to the main draw for the first time ever at the highlight of the clay-court season and has now secured her ninth straight victory on the Seine, this is by far the best tournament of her life—even before the final. In Paris, she played her first-ever semifinal at the tour level.
The French Open of Sensations
In Saturday’s final for the Coupe Suzanne Lenglen, she will now face Schneider’s compatriot Mirra Andreeva. The 19-year-old had previously defeated Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine 6-1, 6-3 after a strong performance. As the first player born after 2005 to reach a major final, the world No. 8 has achieved a feat that no one has yet accomplished on the men’s side either.
At the French Open, quite a few notable favorites have already been eliminated as the tournament has progressed. Above all, Aryna Sabalenka’s exit in the quarterfinals was nothing short of a sensation.
Chwalinska and Schnaider faced off on clay for the second time. They had last met at an ITF event in Istanbul four years ago, when they were ranked 268th and 471st in the world—Schnaider secured the victory back then. On Court Philippe-Chatrier, she now entered the match as the favorite. “Let’s hope she focuses only on the ball and not on her opponent or the rankings,” Bajin had emphasized to Eurosport before the match.
With the roof closed, the match unfolded as an evenly matched contest; with her varied play, Chwalinska repeatedly posed problems for the Russian. And even when Schnaider had a clear lead in the tiebreak, the Polish player didn’t give up—and took the first set after 1 hour and 17 minutes. Andreeva had previously needed one minute less to secure her victory.
The second set followed a similar pattern; the intense play was taking a physical toll on both players. But Chwalinska was unstoppable.
