Maja Chwalinska, a qualifier ranked 114th in the world, has become the first qualifier in history to reach the French Open final after defeating 25th seed Diana Shnaider 7-6 (4), 6-4. The 24-year-old Pole is only the second qualifier to reach a Grand Slam final in the Open Era, following Emma Raducanu at the 2021 US Open.
Chwalinska's run to the final is one of the most surprising in Grand Slam history. She had never previously broken the top 100 and had won only one match in the main draw of a major before this tournament. During her three-week journey through qualifying and the main draw, she has lost just one set in nine matches.
"Like a dream, honestly. I don't know what's going on," said Chwalinska, who sobbed into her towel after the win. "Let's not pretend someone expected it. I was outside top 100 and now I'm in the finals of a grand slam, so I feel like it's a big thing."
Chwalinska's prize money of $1,626,744 (£1.2m) is nearly double the $864,030 she had previously earned in her career. She was so unprepared for such a run that she was unsure if she could afford her hotel bill until a Polish drinks company stepped in to help.
Standing at just 1.64m, Chwalinska compensated for her lack of power with variation, intelligence, and courage, using slices, angles, and drop shots to confound Shnaider. She will face Mirra Andreeva in the final after the eighth seed defeated Marta Kostyuk 6-1, 6-3.
