Maja Chwalinska beat the 25th seed Diana Shnaider on Thursday to make history as the first qualifier to reach the French Open final since tennis was opened up to professional players in 1968.
Issued on: 04/06/2026 - 22:03
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The 24-year-old Pole won 7-6, 6-4 on centre court to progress to her first final on the senior tour. On Saturday afternoon, she will take on fellow first-time Grand Slam tournament finalist Mirra Andreeva after the eighth seed crushed the 15th seed Marta Kostyuk. "It's like a dream," said Chwalinska in her post-match on-court interview with the former player Julien Benneteau. "It has been so challenging to play against the best players in the world day by day. You have to give it your all but I'm not complaining." Before the tournament, the world number 114 had amassed around €900,000 in career earnings. Winner's cheque On Saturday night, she could be holding a cheque for €2.8 million for winning the most prestigious clay court tournament on the circuit. The runner-up pockets €1.4 million. "I'm just trying to stay composed," Chwalinska added. "It helps me play my best tennis but there's often a storm in my head." A sign of that inner turmoil emerged in the first set tiebreak when she slapped a forehand drive into the tramlines to give Shnaider a 3-1 advantage.
