No hotel, no sponsors, no problem: Qualifier Maja Chwalińska’s dream run to the 2026 French Open final

Polish tennis player Maja Chwalińska, ranked world No. 114, has made history at the 2026 French Open by becoming the first qualifier ever to reach a French Open final, and only the second qualifier in Grand Slam Open Era history to reach a major final after Emma Raducanu at the 2021 US Open. The 24-year-old won three qualifying matches and then six main draw matches, defeating 25th seed Diana Shnaider in the semi-finals to complete a nine-match winning streak. Chwalińska had originally arrived in Paris with the modest goal of simply making it through qualifying into the main draw at Roland Garros for the first time.