Maja Chwalinska’s Parisian dream could have a happy ending after qualifying for the French Open final.
The 24-year-old’s 7-6 (4) 6-4 win over Russian Diana Shnaider on Court Philippe Chatrier was her ninth in a row at Roland Garros, setting up a showdown with eighth seed Mirra Andreeva on Saturday.
Chwalinska, who is ranked No. 114, arrived in Paris as one of 128 players hoping only to qualify for the main draw without ever beating a top 50 player.
She has now dropped four in a row as well as Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen, and will be confident she can match Emma Raducanu’s feat in New York five years ago, when the then 18-year-old became the first seed to win a grand slam title.
The Pole produced her best performance to see off 25th-ranked Shnaider in the semi-finals, who within 24 hours went from topping world number one Aryna Sabalenka to reach the knockout stage.
Chwalinska has an unusual game that relies not on power but on the intelligent use of turns and angles, creating a puzzle that none of her opponents have been able to solve so far.
