Chwalinska shatters ceiling as qualifier reaches French Open final after stunning Shnaider
The Mt Kenya Times 
Poland's Maja Chwalinska
The Polish world number 114 becomes the first qualifier in the professional era to reach a French Open women’s singles final
By Norman Mwale
Poland’s Maja Chwalinska has torn through the Roland Garros record books, becoming the first qualifier in the professional era to reach the French Open women’s singles final after a composed 7-6(4), 6-4 victory over 25th seed Diana Shnaider on Thursday.
The world number 114 delivered a performance of nerve and precision on Court Philippe-Chatrier, clinching the two-hour, seven-minute semi-final with a curling forehand winner before sinking to the clay, her face buried in her hands as history settled around her.
The 24-year-old from Dąbrowa Górnicza is only the second player, male or female, to progress from qualifying to a Grand Slam singles final in the Open Era, following Emma Raducanu’s US Open triumph in 2021. She is also just the third woman to contest her maiden WTA-level final at a major, joining Venus Williams in 1997 and Raducanu.
Chwalinska’s run has been built on resilience. After navigating three qualifying matches, she has since eliminated four seeds, with Shnaider — fresh from defeating world number one Aryna Sabalenka in the quarter-finals — the latest to fall.
The opening set was a tactical contest that went to a tie-break, where a deft drop shot and a perfectly judged lob gave Chwalinska set point before Shnaider’s backhand drifted wide. Shnaider called for a medical timeout at 4-3 in the second set, stretching her left leg on the court, but could not halt the Pole’s momentum. Chwalinska broke in the ninth game and served out the match at the first opportunity, striking 32 winners to Shnaider’s 26 and winning 81 points in total to the Russian’s 70.
“It is like a dream,” Chwalinska told the crowd moments after clinching match point.
Saturday’s final will crown a first-time Grand Slam champion when she meets 19-year-old Russian Mirra Andreeva, who dispatched Marta Kostyuk 6-1, 6-3 in the other semi-final. Andreeva, seeded eighth, has dropped just one set all fortnight, yet it is Chwalinska’s momentum that has captivated Paris.
Shnaider was gracious in defeat. She said Chwalinska’s level “was really high from the first ball to the last” and acknowledged that the qualifier “deserved it today.” Asked how Andreeva might approach the final, Shnaider offered a pointed tactical observation: “Mirra needs to stay aggressive, take time away, because Maja is so solid from the baseline and she moves unbelievable.”
Tournament director Amélie Mauresmo called Chwalinska’s achievement “an extraordinary story for our sport,” adding that Roland Garros “has always been about fighters, and Maja embodies that spirit.”
The Pole, who missed much of 2023 through injury and entered the tournament without a main-draw win on clay this season, has now won seven matches in Paris. She will rise into the top 40 of the WTA rankings on Monday regardless of Saturday’s result. Should she defeat Andreeva, she would become only the second qualifier in history to lift a Grand Slam singles trophy.
For Shnaider, the loss ended a breakthrough fortnight that had included her first victory over a world number one. “It was not easy to play her today,” the 22-year-old admitted. “She was very consistent, and in the important moments she played better than me.”
Chwalinska now has 48 hours to recover before attempting to complete one of the most remarkable triumphs in the sport’s history. As she left Court Philippe-Chatrier, she paused, turned back to the crowd and placed her hand on her heart. Paris, and the history books, will be watching.
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