Full story
Chwalinska reaches final
Maja Chwalinska stunned Diana Shnaider 7-6 (4), 6-4 to reach the Roland Garros women’s final, becoming the first qualifier in history to reach the French Open final.
“Chwalinska, a qualifier, will improbably compete for the Roland Garros title on Saturday”
Chwalinska, ranked 24-year-old and No. 114 in the world, won her semifinal in 2h10′ over Shnaider, the 25th seed, and then set up a title match against Mirra Andreeva.
Andreeva, the No. 8 seed, booked the other spot in the final by beating Marta Kostyuk 6-1, 6-3 in 1h15′.
Asked how it feels to achieve such a result, Chwalinska said, “Like a dream, honestly. I don’t know what’s going on,” and added, “I don’t know what to say.”
Quotes and payday
Chwalinska described the moment as she faced the media after her semifinal win, saying, “It’s like a dream, honestly,” and “I don’t know what’s going on. I don’t know what to say.”
USA Today reported that Chwalinska entered the French Open ranked No. 114 and that her payday on Saturday alone will surpass her prior career earnings of $864,030.
USA Today also said Chwalinska will make at least $1.6 million in prize money for reaching the French Open final, and that the figure would jump to nearly $3.3 million if she defeats Mirra Andreeva.
In the same semifinal, Chwalinska’s win over Shnaider came after she earned a 7-6 (4) first set and then closed the match 6-4, setting up the final against Andreeva on Saturday.
The Guardian framed the run as historic, noting that Chwalinska will face another Russian player, Mirra Andreeva, in the final after the No 8 seed rolled Marta Kostyuk 6-1, 6-3.
Final stakes in Paris
The final will be played in Paris at Roland Garros, with Chwalinska set to face Mirra Andreeva after Andreeva beat Marta Kostyuk 6-1, 6-3 in their semifinal.
“Chwalińska has a chance to match Emma Raducanu’s title run at the 2021 US Open”
CNN said Chwalinska became just the second qualifier to reach a grand slam singles final in the Open Era, and it added that she has a chance to match Emma Raducanu’s title run at the 2021 US Open.
CNN reported that Chwalińska’s total prize money heading into Roland Garros was $864,030 and that by reaching the final she gets 1.4 million euros about ($1.6 million), with 2.8 million euros ($3.25 million) if she wins on Saturday.
The Guardian also highlighted the scale of the moment, stating that Chwalinska’s prize money of $1,626,744 (£1.2m) is nearly double the $864,030 she had previously earned in her career.
As the final approaches, Chwalinska said, “I watched Mirra (Andreeva) a bit. They were playing before us, so I watched her game and it was incredible,” and she added, “I will for sure give my all. It's a Grand Slam final.”