French Open star ranked No.114 in tears after reaching final to match Emma Raducanu | Tennis | Sport

Maja Chwalinska sobbed into her towel after becoming the first qualifier ever to reach the French Open final, and the second qualifier to contest any Grand Slam final, after Emma Raducanu at the 2021 US Open. And the Polish world No. 114 is now one win away from copying Raducanu by lifting a Major title after coming through the preliminary rounds.

Before this fortnight, Chwalinska, 24, only had two tour-level wins on clay. She’s now won three qualifying matches and six in the main draw to reach her first-ever final – at the French Open, no less. The qualifier has already caused plenty of upsets in Paris, and beat 25th seed Diana Shnaider 7-6(4) 6-4 to move into Saturday’s championship match.

With Mirra Andreeva already safely through to the final and awaiting the winner, there was nothing separating Chwalinska and Shnaider in the second women’s semi-final, with both players well aware of the opportunity at stake.

They broke each other early on, and neither woman could capitalise on later break point opportunities in the opening set. Shnaider forced a tiebreak and took an early 4-2 lead, but the qualifier won five points in a row to win the gruelling 84-minute first set.

Chwalinska pounced first in set two, but the Russian 25th seed immediately broke back to level the score. As the match went on, all of the tennis started catching up to both players. The Pole called the trainer and took some medication during the second set, while Shnaider had a medical timeout while leading 4-3.

At 4-4, leading 15-30 on the Shnaider serve, the world No. 114 sensed her opportunity. She brought Shnaider to the net with a dropshot and then finished off the rally with a volley to give herself a crucial break point. Shnaider couldn’t get to another dropshot, and Chwalinska broke to serve for a place in the final on her main draw debut here.

After two hours and 10-minutes of intense competition, holding match point, Chwalinska showed no sign of nerves and sent a winner straight past Shnaider to claim victory. As the ball dropped perfectly on the line, she fell to the court in disbelief. The 24-year-old shook hands with Shnaider and waved to the crowd before the emotions took over, and she sat on her bench, sobbing into a towel.

Had you told someone ahead of the tournament that a Polish player would be in the women’s final, many would have assumed it would be four-time former champion Iga Swiatek. Instead, it’s the qualifier, whose only previous Grand Slam main-draw match win came at Wimbledon back in 2022.

It’s been just as surprising for Chwalinska herself, who was speechless during her on-court interview with Julien Benneteau. “I mean, it’s like a dream, honestly. I don’t know what’s going on. Like, I just… Yeah… I don’t know what to say. I’m sorry. I’m just very happy,” she said.

The qualifier is now on a nine-match winning streak here and is admittedly getting tired, but she will no doubt bring her best against eighth seed Andreeva on Saturday. She added: “I mean, not [feeling] great! I don’t lie. It’s so challenging to play against the best players in the world, day by day. But, I mean, it’s a Grand Slam, so you just gotta give your all, and more. I’m not complaining at all!”

Chwalinska is doing a good job of hiding any fatigue and any nerves. She’s looked calm and composed throughout her three-week win, but admitted: “Oh no, I’m crazy sometimes, also. But, I mean, I try to stay composed because I know that it’s the best way for me. Like, it helps me to play my best tennis. So that’s what I’m trying to do, but inside, there’s a storm, believe me.”

The world No. 114 will hope to cause one more upset in Saturday’s final as she faces teenage sensation Andreeva. And the Russian’s coach, retired star Conchita Martinez, was in the stands to watch Chwalinska’s semi-final victory. “I mean, I played, like, eight matches here already? Or more? So definitely no secrets,” the Pole laughed.

“But I watched Mirra a bit. They were playing before us, so I watched her game. I mean, it was incredible. So it’s just another great experience for me. I will, for sure, give my all. It’s a Grand Slam final.”

For now, though, she wants to savour this victory. “Well, let me enjoy this moment for now! Yeah, I just want to breathe a little, enjoy it today, and then just recover as much as I can. You know, just to be able to give my all,” she said.

Chwalinska, who has a career-high ranking of No. 113, is guaranteed to crack the world’s top 25 next week, and could go even higher if she lifts the trophy. Incredibly, she may need to go through qualifying again if she wants to compete at Wimbledon later this month, as entries were based on pre-French Open rankings. Though she will no doubt be a top contender for a main-draw wildcard.

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