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Tennis: Poland's Chwalińska through to French Open semifinals

03.06.2026 17:00
Poland’s Maja Chwalińska on Wednesday picked up the biggest win of her career, defeating Russian Anna Kalinskaya 7-6, 6-3 to reach the semifinals of the French Open Grand Slam tennis tournament in Paris.
Maja Chwalińska
Maja ChwalińskaEPA/YOAN VALAT

The 24-year-old Pole, ranked No. 114 in the world, is making her Roland Garros main-draw debut after advancing through qualifying.

Wednesday's victory is expected to propel her into the top 30 of the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) world rankings.

Chwalińska caused a major upset in the first round, defeating China’s Zheng Qinwen, the reigning Olympic champion, 6-4, 6-0. She then beat Belgium's Elise Mertens by the same scoreline in the second round.

In the third round, she rallied past Greece's Maria Sakkari 1-6, 6-3, 6-2, and followed up with a 6-3, 6-2 win over home favourite Diane Parry in the fourth round.

Against Kalinskaya, the left-hander again relied on her trademark consistency and deep, high-bouncing groundstrokes, repeatedly forcing the Russian player onto the defensive.

The French Open is only Chwalińska's third Grand Slam main-draw appearance. Her previous best result was a second-round showing at Wimbledon in 2022. She exited in the first round of this year's Australian Open.

Chwalińska, coached by Czech Jaroslav Machovský, will next face Russian world No. 23 Diana Shnaider for a place in the final of the women's singles competition in Paris.

(gs)

Source: IAR, PAP