Qualifier Maja Chwalińska is one win away from a fairytale French Open title after setting up a final showdown with Russian teenager Mirra Andreeva.
The Polish world number 114, who had previously won only two Grand Slam matches before this tournament, continued her remarkable run at Roland Garros by defeating 25th seed Diana Shnaider 7-6 (7-4), 6-4.
Three weeks and nine matches into her French Open campaign, Chwalińska dropped to the clay in celebration after striking her 32nd and final winner in another outstanding performance.
With the victory, she became the first qualifier in history to reach the women’s singles final at Roland Garros, as the crowd chanted her name during her post-match interview.
On Saturday, she will attempt to become only the second qualifier in the Open era to win a Grand Slam title, after Britain’s Emma Raducanu at the 2021 US Open.
However, standing in her way is the in-form Andreeva, who delivered a dominant display to defeat Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk 6-1, 6-3.
The 19-year-old, a beaten semi-finalist in 2024, was in superb form and became the third-youngest woman this century to reach the Roland Garros final, after Coco Gauff and Kim Clijsters.
Should she go on to win her first major title, eighth seed Andreeva would become the third-youngest first-time Grand Slam champion this century, following Maria Sharapova and Emma Raducanu.
