Amid the upsets and surprises that unfolded throughout the men’s and women’s draws, the tournament produced its own fairy-tale story in 24-year-old Polish tennis player Maja Chwalińska. Arriving with the modest goal of simply reaching the main draw, she defied expectations to reach her maiden Grand Slam final against world no. 8 Maria Andreeva.
Although she fell 6-3, 6-2 to the world no. 8 in the title clash, her fearless performances and remarkable underdog run won the admiration of tennis fans around the world.
Chwalinska, who ranks 114 in the world, won her three qualifiers to make it into the main draw at Roland Garros for the first time and then won nine straight matches and reached the women’s singles final on Court Philippe-Chatrier. She is already a history maker, the first qualifier to ever reach a French Open championship match and only the second in Grand Slam Open Era history to do so.
The Maja’s Story
Maja Chwalińska was born in Dąbrowa Górnicza, an industrial city in southern Poland. Her tennis journey began at the age of seven when she was spotted during a school recruitment program. She picked up a racquet and soon started training at a local sports and recreation center as part of their “Tennis Talent” campaign, where she honed her skills for the next 12 years.
Known for her tricky, varied, and intelligent left-handed playing style, Chwalińska quickly emerged as one of Poland’s brightest junior prospects. She formed a close bond and a highly successful doubles partnership with her childhood friend, Iga Świątek.
The Pole has been open about her off-court struggles, revealing that she battled depression for two years before retiring from tennis after losing in Wimbledon qualifying in 2021. She later returned to make her Grand Slam debut at Wimbledon in 2022, and she has now achieved her most significant career milestone at Roland-Garros.
Maja, a self-confessed tennis addict, studies opponents and deepens her understanding of the game through watching matches.
“When I was younger, I would watch tennis all day every day. I feel like it helps me read the game better,” she said, adding that she is grateful for the opportunity to grow up watching Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic.
“I occasionally return to these old matches and watch them play. “It feels like poetry.”
The story beyond the Clay Court
The French Open finalist was asked about her changing kits with different logos for each round.
“There is no story, really,” she said with a laugh when asked about the outfit rotation. “I’m not sponsored, so I guess that’s the story.”
“There’s no story, I’m not sponsored” 😅
Maja Chwalińska on her outfits during her run to the Roland-Garros final 👕 pic.twitter.com/p90UIPAI8O
— TNT Sports (@tntsports) June 4, 2026
Chwalinska was ranked outside of the world’s top players and entered the French Open without a sponsor. She revealed a concern that few Grand Slam hopefuls ever have to consider after battling through qualification and unexpectedly making it to the fourth round.
“I hope there are still some rooms available out there… or that I have enough money,” Maja admitted.
Even though the Pole won more money than she had ever earned, at least €1.4 million (USD $1.6 million) for reaching the final at a single tournament, the prise money in tennis does not often arrive right away, so she still had expenses to pay in one of the most expensive cities in the world.
The tennis community took note of the remark immediately. Soon after, Oshee, a Polish sports nutrition company, stepped in to sponsor her and pay for her stay in Paris, ensuring that a player who had emerged as one of the tournament’s stars did not have to spend her evenings worrying about hotel fees.
The battle on Clay
After beating 25th seed Diana Shnaider in the semifinal, Maja Chwalińska said,
“I feel like I’m in a bubble; I don’t know what’s going on: I’m just very happy to be here.”
However, the bubble was burst by world number eight Mirra Andreeva, who prevented Chwalinska from becoming only the second qualifier to win a Grand Slam singles title in the Open Era.
Chwalinska lost 6-3, 6-2 to Andreeva on Saturday, but finishing second will have a significant impact on her life and professional career.
For Maja to earn a spot in the main tournament, she had to win three qualifying matches against tough competition. She won dominatingly against Alice Rame and Carole Monnet, but her last match against Suzan Lamens was a tight two-setter to qualify.
Once she entered the main draw, she had a historic run to the final by taking down a gauntlet of formidable opponents, which included dominant straight-set victories over Qinwen Zheng, Elise Mertens, and Diane Parry and a resilient comeback against Maria Sakkari.
The quarterfinals against 22nd seed Anna Kalinskaya showcased Chwalińska’s composure by navigating a high-stakes first-set tiebreak and then dominating the second set to reach the semifinals. She then punched her historic ticket to the final with a grueling semifinal victory over 25th seed Diana Shnaider, once again demonstrating elite mental toughness to edge out a crucial opening tiebreak.
What’s next for Maja?
After the finals, Maja Chwalińska will climb from 114th in the world to a new high of 21st on Monday, while her Roland Garros prize money of 1.4 million euros (£1.21m) is almost double what she had previously earned in her entire career.
When asked about her French Open journey, she said, “It is definitely an unforgettable three weeks for me. I’ll never forget it.”
“An unforgettable three weeks for me.”
Hear from our runner-up Maja Chwalinska in her press conference 🎙️#RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/uFPeTZisRT
— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) June 6, 2026
“It’s been 18 years of hard work, patience, and perseverance,” said 24-year-old Chwalinska, who took up tennis as a young girl. “I had to go through so much to be in this position. Life is weird sometimes, and you’ve just got to do your thing and believe it will click someday, and I’m happy that it did.
Chwalinska’s next target would be Wimbledon, as she has climbed to the fringes of the world’s top 20 with her Roland Garros run, but she is not guaranteed to make the main draw at Wimbledon, as she was outside the top 100 at the cut-off time for entries. It means she will again have to go through qualifying, unless she is awarded a main-draw wildcard for the tournament, which begins on 29 June.
On the possibility of receiving a SW19 wildcard, Chwalińska said:
“I don’t expect it, but I’ll see. I will treat it as a challenge.”
Wildcards are usually reserved for British players, those who have performed well previously on grass and notable high-profile players.
But showing a positive attitude, she said, “It’s a new surface. I don’t have much time, but I’ll give my all and we’ll see. But I’m excited. Grass is always a nice kind of change.”