A historic run through the draw

Maja Chwalińska arrived in Paris ranked 114th in the world and needing to survive three qualifying matches just to enter the main draw. She then reeled off six more victories in the tournament proper, eliminating Olympic champion Qinwen Zheng (6:4, 6:0), No. 23 seed Elise Mertens (6:4, 6:0), former world No. 3 Maria Sakkari (1:6, 6:3, 6:2), Diane Parry (6:3, 6:2), No. 22 seed Anna Kalinska (7:6, 6:3), and finally No. 25 seed Diana Sznajder in the semi-final. Only one player in the Open Era had previously reached a Grand Slam final after coming through qualifying: Emma Raducanu, who won the 2021 US Open. No qualifier, male or female, had ever done it at Roland Garros before Chwalińska.

The semi-final battle

Thursday's match on Court Philippe Chatrier lasted two hours and 10 minutes. The first set was a tight affair, with both players producing spectacular winners. Eurosport commentators singled out a rally in the ninth game, with Chwalińska serving at 4:4 and 30:30, as the best point of the match. After Sznajder lobbed her and rushed the net, Chwalińska managed a precise down-the-line shot that drew gasps from the crowd. The Pole took the set in a tie-break, 7:6(4). She broke through in the second set to close it out 6:4, converting her first match point.

“This is like a dream. I still don't know what's happening. I don't know what to say. I'm really, really happy.”

The toll of three weeks

Chwalińska did not hide the physical cost of her run. After the final point she collapsed onto the clay, then rose with tears in her eyes as the crowd chanted her name. In her on-court interview she admitted the strain.

“I don't feel that great, I won't lie. It's hard to keep competing against the best players in the world. It's a challenge, but this is a Slam — you have to give everything and more. I'm not complaining.”

She has now played at least nine matches across qualifying and the main draw. This is only her third appearance in the main draw of a Grand Slam; she reached the second round of Wimbledon in 2022 and lost in the first round of the 2025 Australian Open.

What awaits on Saturday

The final, scheduled for Saturday at 15:00 in Paris, pits Chwalińska against No. 8 seed Mirra Andriejewa. The 19-year-old Russian dismantled Ukraine's Marta Kostiuk 6:1, 6:3 in just 76 minutes in the earlier semi-final. Andriejewa's coach, former Wimbledon champion Conchita Martinez, was spotted in the stands during the Chwalińska–Sznajder match, studying the potential opponent. Chwalińska said she watched Andriejewa's semi-final and called her an incredible player, but promised to give everything.

“I've played maybe eight matches here or more. I have no secrets. I watched Mirra's semi-final, she played great. She's an amazing player. But I'll give it my all.”

A place in Polish tennis history

Chwalińska becomes the fourth Polish woman to reach a Grand Slam singles final, joining Iga Świątek, Jadwiga Jędrzejowska, and Agnieszka Radwańska. Regardless of Saturday's outcome, she is already guaranteed to break into the WTA top 100 for the first time; her virtual ranking now sits at No. 30. The previous meeting between Chwalińska and Sznajder came in 2022 at an ITF event in Istanbul, where the Russian won 6:4, 6:4.

Sznajder, who had sensationally beaten world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka 3:6, 7:5, 6:0 in the quarter-finals, showed class at the net after the loss, graciously thanking Chwalińska for the match. The all-Russian final between Sznajder and Andriejewa that had seemed possible was averted by the Pole's composed performance under pressure.