Twenty-four-year-old qualifier reaches first-ever tour-level final at Roland-Garros 2026
At Roland-Garros last year, Maja Chwalinska fell in the second round of qualifying, playing far from her best tennis.
By the time Mirra Andreeva navigated through to a main draw quarterfinal finish, the world No.132 Chwalinska was competing on clay in Italy.
The Pole earned a last-eight spot at the World Tennis Tour event in Brescia before a second-round defeat at the WTA 125 in Bari. Coco Gauff was soon hailed the champion in Paris.
Fast-forward to Roland-Garros 2026 and the current world No.114 conjured up a life-changing run from qualifier to finalist without, she feels, performing at her peak across the three weeks.
“Honestly, I didn't feel like I'm playing my best tennis, which is kind of weird,” the 24-year-old told reporters.
“I've never really played against the high-ranked players before, I feel like I definitely gained a lot of confidence.”
On Saturday, this rare and compelling run came to a close as Andreeva held up the Coupe Suzanne-Lenglen following a 6-3, 6-2 triumph.
As Chwalinska noted, high-profile matches hadn’t been on her resume; the Roland-Garros 2026 final was her first top-10 battle. In fact, ahead of the event, the Pole had never defeated a top-50 talent. That swiftly changed across the past three weeks with the toppling of four elite players en route to the title showdown.
“Definitely unforgettable three weeks for me, such a great time,” she said.
“Definitely very challenging one today," she added. "All credits to Mirra, because she's such an incredible player, so solid. She handled the conditions much, much better than me, so she 100 per cent deserved to win. But I think I can be proud of myself.”
Chwalinska’s dream trip to Paris came during just a third Grand Slam main draw appearance. As a result, she was just the second-ever qualifier to make a Grand Slam singles final in the Open era, joining US Open 2021 champion Emma Raducanu.
It’s a truly astonishing feat, especially as it was a first Tour-level final. Adding to that, the current world No.114 is the lowest-ranked woman to make the Roland-Garros final since the inception of the WTA Rankings in 1975.
Players down the rankings will surely draw motivation.
“I know many, many great players that are ranked outside the top 100," Chwalinska said. "It's such a thin line now. I feel like a lot of things need to click.”
“I hope that my story these last days was inspiring for them. I'll see them in the, let's say, top 50 now.”
She’s projected to climb to No.21 in the rankings on Monday, drastically shifting her scheduling possibilities at the very top of the sport.
Although Roland-Garros will live long in her memory, Chwalinska is adamant she will keep building.
“It will be different, for sure, but I think and I hope I'll adapt," she said. "I definitely will work hard, as I am working hard.”
“I'll give my all to be better each and every day, and I'll see what the results will be. Definitely very grateful for this time, but it's in the past now. I just need to continue to stay present and give my all.”
A much-needed holiday is next on the agenda, with no competitive action ahead of plans to play Wimbledon qualifying later this month.
“The last years it's been a struggle for me on grass, but before I loved playing on grass," Chwalinska said. "I feel like I can use a lot of touch and slices. I move pretty well on the court and I anticipate pretty well.”
“It's always exciting because it's such a short period of time that we have on grass. I guess I'll see, but I'm ready for the challenge.”
ROLAND-GARROS
18 May - 7 June 2026
