Maja Chwalinska keeps making history, reaches Roland Garros 2026 final | OneFootball

Maja Chwalinska’s dream run added a new chapter at Roland Garros, where she has already racked up nine wins and reached a final that seemed impossible just two weeks ago.

The Roland Garros semifinals guaranteed a first-time finalist and brought together two of the most surprising stories of the Paris fortnight. Diana Shnaider, just 22 years old and the No. 25 seed, reached her first-ever Grand Slam semifinal after producing a memorable comeback against world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka when she was on the verge of elimination. On the other side stood the tournament’s breakout revelation: Maja Chwalinska, who came through qualifying and strung together eight wins with only one set dropped to become the first qualifier to reach the semifinals in Paris since 2020. Her campaign propelled her from outside the Top 100 to the brink of the Top 30.

The only previous meeting favored the young Russian, who won in straight sets at an ITF event in Istanbul in 2022, although this time both arrived transformed by a fortnight that had already changed their careers.

Nerves were evident in the opening stages of the match, which was understandable for two players competing for the first time at such a significant stage. Both Shnaider and Chwalinska had to work harder than expected in their opening service games, making a few errors typical of the tension of the moment. The Pole looked sharper on return, turned defense into attack, and managed to break the Russian’s serve in the fourth game. However, Shnaider responded immediately, found depth in her shots, and was able to dictate play from the baseline to get the break back.

As the games went by, both players settled into the match, leading to an extremely even contest. The balance remained until the end of the set, and everything was decided in the tiebreak, where Chwalinska was more effective and claimed the opening set.

After taking the first set, the Pole grew in confidence heading into the second and grabbed an early break, taking advantage of the Russian’s mistakes. Even so, Shnaider responded right away, stayed aggressive, and used the weight of her forehand to break back. Chwalinska began to impose a more aggressive game plan, moving her opponent from side to side before finding the finishing shot. For her part, the Russian did not alter her approach and continued creating width in her attacks to take options away from the Pole.

Chwalinska’s remarkable defensive work once again made the difference in the ninth game, where she created break-point chances and broke Shnaider’s serve with a sublime drop shot. When it was time to close it out, the Pole rose to the occasion. Maja Chwalinska held serve and celebrated a historic qualification for the Roland Garros final with a 6-4.

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