Just a week ago, 24-year-old Polish tennis player Maja Chwalińska arrived in Paris with uncertainty hanging over every aspect of her career.
Ranked No. 114 in the world, Chwalińska had no major sponsors, no guaranteed income and no assurance she could even cover the cost of her hotel stay during the tournament. Prize money is only distributed after the competition concludes, prompting a Polish sports drink company to quietly step in and pay her accommodation expenses.
Today, Chwalińska stands one match away from one of the most remarkable stories in Grand Slam history.
Before the 2026 French Open, she had won just one main-draw match at a Grand Slam event. Her journey to this point has been anything but straightforward. In 2021, she openly struggled with severe depression that left her unable to get out of bed. A knee surgery in 2022 further delayed her progress, forcing her to spend years competing in lower-tier tournaments across Europe simply to keep her career alive.
Her breakthrough in Paris began in qualifying, where she needed three victories just to reach the main draw. Once there, she continued her extraordinary run, defeating some of the sport’s biggest names, including Zheng Qinwen, Elise Mertens, Maria Sakkari and Diana Shnaider.
Nine consecutive victories later, with only one set dropped throughout the tournament, Chwalińska has become the first qualifier in French Open history to reach the women’s singles final.
The achievement is unprecedented in Paris and marks the first time since Emma Raducanu’s unforgettable 2021 US Open triumph that a qualifier has reached a Grand Slam final.
The financial transformation has been equally dramatic. By reaching the final, Chwalińska has already secured more prize money than she earned throughout her entire professional career. The runner-up prize is worth approximately $1.6 million, while victory would see her take home $3.25 million.
One week ago, she was worried about paying for her hotel room.
Today, she is playing for a Grand Slam title.