Qualifier Chwalinska makes historic run to Paris final

Polish tennis player Maja Chwalinska has continued her sensational run at the French Open, reaching the Grand Slam final and marking a historic achievement.

Ranked 114th in the world, Chwalinska secured her spot in the final on Thursday by defeating Russia's Diana Schnaider with a score of 7-6 (4), 6-4. This victory makes her only the second qualifier in history to reach a Grand Slam final. The first was Emma Raducanu at the US Open in 2021, who went on to win the title.

Chwalinska's opponent in Saturday's final will be Russia's Mirra Andreeva, who advanced by defeating Ukraine's Marta Kostyuk 6-1, 6-3. Both Chwalinska, 24, and Andreeva, 19, are making their first appearance in a major tournament final.

Describing her feelings, Chwalinska said, "This is like a dream. I don't even know what's happening right now. I'm speechless and just very happy." She noted that she tries to remain calm but feels a storm inside. Despite being mentally and physically at her limit after numerous matches, she expressed no complaints about the challenge of playing against top players. She also conveyed great respect for her final opponent, Andreeva, anticipating it as another significant experience.

In the other semifinal, the eighth-seeded Andreeva showed superiority over Kostyuk. The 23-year-old Ukrainian, playing in her first Grand Slam semifinal, showed signs of nerves, making 34 unforced errors and struggling with the wind before the roof was closed. Despite significant crowd support for Kostyuk, it was not enough. As expected, Kostyuk did not shake hands with Andreeva at the net, a gesture many Ukrainian tennis professionals have made to protest Russia's invasion of Ukraine.