The most chaotic of Roland-Garros fortnights continues to deliver.
Unheralded Pole Maja Chwalinska has become the first qualifier in tennis’ Open Era to reach the final at the claycourt major, adding to her string of upsets with a 7-6 (7-4), 6-4 triumph over Russia’s Diana Shnaider to book a showdown with Mirra Andreeva.
Chwalinska collapsed onto the red dirt in elation after flashing a forehand past Shnaider to extend a Cinderella run that evokes memories of Brit Emma Raducanu’s unlikely 2021 US Open title.
After greeting Shnaider at the net, she returned to her courtside chair and buried her face in a towel as her emotions spilled over.
The 24-year-old had battled injuries and won just two WTA-level matches until this tournament, but is guaranteed to rise from No.114 in the world to be on the verge of the top 20 – and could join her countrywoman Iga Swiatek as a Roland-Garros champion.
“It is like a dream, honestly. I don’t know what’s going on. I don’t know what to say,” Chwalinska said. “I’m just very happy … it’s another great experience for me. I will, for sure, give my all. It’s a grand slam final.”
Chwalinska insisted there was a “storm” brewing inside her mind that contrasted greatly with her calm exterior, which mirrors her game style. At 165 centimetres, the left-hander does not overwhelm her opponents with raw power, but instead by using a wonderful blend of angles, smarts and skill.
Like everyone else in the past two-and-a-half weeks, 25th-seeded Shnaider could not solve the Chwalinska riddle despite having her chances.
Shnaider recovered an early break to force a first-set tiebreak, and roared with delight after going 4-2 up following an excellent point where she ran Chwalinska ragged. But the unflappable Pole reeled off the next five points to claim the set, including a brilliant drop volley after a stealthy net attack.
They traded breaks to start the second set, and games remained on serve until Shnaider sought a medical timeout to have back and hip ailments attended to.
Far from being distracted, Chwalinska held for four-all, then turned the screws with her court craft on full display. She secured the match-winning break with another exquisite drop shot that Shnaider could not retrieve before sealing her passage to the final in the next game.
If Chwalinska’s final berth is wholly unexpected, teenage starlet Andreeva’s maiden grand slam final is a major step towards fulfilling the destiny many tipped for her.
Fellow teenagers Joao Fonseca and Rafael Jodar stole the headlines with quarter-final runs in the men’s draw, but Andreeva – a relative veteran at 19, who made the last 16 at Wimbledon three years ago, and the semi-finals in Paris in 2024 – outperformed them both.
Long tipped for grand slam glory, Andreeva absorbed the nerves of her second major semi-final and the tricky wind that unravelled world No.1 Aryna Sabalenka a day earlier to dispatch 15th seed Marta Kostyuk 6-1, 6-3.
Andreeva’s latest straight-sets victory – she has dropped one set all tournament – was a dramatic reversal of the Madrid final from only a few weeks ago, and emphatically ended her Ukrainian rival’s 17-match winning streak this claycourt season.
“I’m still very, very nervous. I was very nervous coming into this match,” Andreeva said.
“She’s had an amazing season – until this match, she hadn’t lost a match on clay, so of course, that puts a lot of pressure. She’s an amazing player, a very tough opponent, and I’m just super happy with the way I played today.
“I’m happy that I got revenge from the Madrid final, and I’m happy that I’m in my first-ever grand slam final, so all of these feelings combined, it’s amazing. I’ve never felt anything like this before, and I’m very excited about the last match here in Paris.”
Andreeva’s negative emotions have regularly bubbled over in the latter stages at the slams and in other big matches, including during her loss in last year’s Roland-Garros quarter-finals to Frenchwoman Lois Boisson.
But there were no such issues this time around.
Andreeva, coached by 1994 Wimbledon champion Conchita Martinez, displayed new-found maturity to handle all circumstances of this occasion, including the spectre of the Russian-Ukrainian war that the teenager typically tries to sidestep.
It was Kostyuk, a former prodigy herself, who had more trouble remaining composed.
She has tearfully dedicated her wins at Roland-Garros to her embattled compatriots while doing her best to remain focused amid the tragic scenes in her home country.
It would have been a popular victory if Kostyuk had claimed her first grand slam trophy this weekend, but Andreeva had other ideas.
The young star dropped just one game in storming through the opening set, after recovering from 0-40 in the second game – with the help of a litany of Kostyuk errors that eventually sank her hopes.
Andreeva served well and played with a sustained aggression that a wayward Kostyuk could not match.
By contrast, the Ukrainian double-faulted twice in the opening game to set the tone for a performance that failed to reach the heights of earlier matches.
After falling 15-40, 0-4 behind, Kostyuk forced herself to smile, in what seemed an attempt to reset her emotions.
The strategy worked at least temporarily as she fought her way to her first game, but the relentless Andreeva’s response was to hold serve to love in the blink of an eye. Minutes later, a cramped Kostyuk dumped the ball in the net to concede the opening set.
The second set followed a similar pattern as Andreeva raced to a 3-0 lead, but there were signs that Kostyuk was waking from her slumber.
As Kostyuk’s game stabilised, Andreeva threw in a loose service game, book-ended by backhand unforced errors either side of a double fault, to hand back the break in the seventh game. But Kostyuk’s comeback was short-lived.
She double-faulted to begin the next game as her memorable Roland-Garros campaign suffered an abrupt end.
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