Paris, June 5:
Qualifier Maja Chwalinska moved one step closer to a fairytale French Open title after reaching the women’s singles final, where she will face Russian teenager Mirra Andreeva.
The Polish world number 114 continued her stunning run at Roland Garros with a 7-6 (7-4), 6-4 victory over 25th seed Diana Shnaider in the semi-finals. Having started her campaign in the qualifiers, Chwalinska has now won nine matches in three weeks to reach her maiden Grand Slam final.
Overwhelmed by the moment, she dropped to the clay after sealing victory, becoming the first qualifier in history to reach a women’s singles final at the French Open. The crowd erupted in support, chanting her name during the post-match interview.
Chwalinska will now aim to become only the second qualifier in the Open era to win a Grand Slam title, following Emma Raducanu’s triumph at the 2021 US Open.
Standing in her way is eighth seed Mirra Andreeva, who produced a dominant 6-1, 6-3 win over Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk in the other semi-final. The 19-year-old, a semi-finalist last year, has been in formidable form and is now the third-youngest player this century to reach the French Open final, after Coco Gauff and Kim Clijsters.
A victory for Andreeva would make her one of the youngest first-time Grand Slam champions in recent history, alongside Maria Sharapova and Raducanu.
With both players chasing history, Saturday’s final promises to be a thrilling showdown between a rising star and a remarkable underdog story.