Maja Chwalinska, a qualifier ranked 114th in the world, has reached the French Open final after defeating 25th seed Diana Shnaider 7-6 (4), 6-4. The 24-year-old Pole is the first qualifier in history to make the final at Roland Garros and only the second to reach any Grand Slam final after Emma Raducanu at the 2021 US Open.
Chwalinska has lost just one set in nine matches across qualifying and the main draw. 'Like a dream, honestly. I don't know what's going on,' she said after the match. 'Let's not pretend someone expected it. I was outside top 100 and now I'm in the finals of a grand slam.'
Her run is one of the most surprising in tennis history. She had never broken the top 100 before and had won only one Grand Slam main-draw match previously, at Wimbledon in 2022. Her prize money of $1.6m nearly doubles her career earnings to date.
Chwalinska will face Mirra Andreeva, the eighth seed, in Saturday's final after Andreeva beat Marta Kostyuk 6-1, 6-3. Despite her lack of power at 1.64m tall, Chwalinska has relied on variation, intelligence and courage to outwit opponents.
