Maja Chwalinska has achieved what no woman had done in the Open Era. The Polish world No. 114 qualifier defeated Diana Shnaider 7-6(4), 6-4 in the Roland-Garros semifinals to become the first qualifier in French Open history to reach the final.
The first set produced a tense battle between the two left-handers. Chwalinska took a 6-5 lead after saving two break points in a marathon game, but Shnaider held serve to force the tiebreak. There, the Russian lost her serve four times as Chwalinska sealed the set 7-4.
The second set took a dramatic turn when Shnaider called a medical timeout at 4-3 up to have her back examined. Upon returning, she was a diminished player. Chwalinska immediately leveled, then broke for 5-4 before serving out the match with remarkable composure.
Playing in just her third career Grand Slam, Chwalinska becomes the fastest player to reach a major final since Emma Raducanu at the 2021 US Open. She had never beaten a top-50 player before this tournament.
On Saturday, she will face Mirra Andreeva for the title. Two first-time Grand Slam finalists, a final nobody could have predicted two weeks ago.