Maja Chwalinska entered the 2026 French Open as the 114th-ranked female player, but had never made it past the qualifying round of the tournament. On Saturday, she will have a chance to win it all.
Chwalinska continued her miraculous run at Roland Garros on Thursday, defeating 25th seed Diana Schneider in straight sets (7-6, 6-4) to advance to her first Grand Slam final.
It was clear from the start that fans were looking forward to a great match. Chwalinska and Schneider looked evenly matched in the first set. After Chwalinska opened up a 3-1 lead, Schneider fought back and won the next two matches to tie the score. From there, both players traded games, and the match eventually went to a tiebreak.
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Schneider took control early in the tiebreak and took a 4-2 lead. However, Chwalinska fought back strongly and won the next five points to take the first set 7-6.
Chwalinska and Schneider maintained the same intensity in the second set. After Chwalinska won the first match, Schneider fought back with a win in the second match. Both teams then won again in the next six matches to maintain a tie at 4 wins and 4 losses.
In the ninth game, Chwarinska finally ended that winning streak. She broke Schneider’s serve for a 5-4 lead, one game away from advancing to the final. Schneider took the first point in the next game, while Chwalinska came back and took four straight points to win the game and the game.
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After the match, Hwalinska was speechless when asked about her performance at the event.
With this victory, Chwalinska will advance to her first Grand Slam final. Before Roland Garros in 2026, Szwalinska had only made the cut at two other Grand Slams. She won her first and only Grand Slam title at Wimbledon in 2022, but was eliminated in the first round at the 2025 Australian Open.
The unexpected nature of Szwarinska’s performance at the 2026 French Open cannot be overstated. There is only one other player in the Open Era who made it through the qualifying rounds and advanced to the Grand Slam singles final. That would be Emma Raducanu, who won the 2021 US Open. Chwalinska will have a chance to match that feat on Saturday.
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To do that, she will need to defeat No. 8 seed Mila Andreeva, who defeated Marta Kostyuk earlier Thursday. Andrieva, like Chwalinska, has never played in a Grand Slam final.
The 2026 French Open final should be a new experience for both players. In addition to never reaching a Grand Slam final, Chwalinska and Andreeva have never faced each other in a singles match.
