Polish qualifier Maja Chwalinska reaches French Open semi‑final as top seeds fall

Poland’s 24‑year‑old qualifier Maja Chwalinska advanced to the semi‑final of the French Open, defeating Russia’s Anna Kalinskaya 7‑6 (7‑3), 6‑3. Her run set a new benchmark for a qualifier at the tournament, the best since Argentina’s Nadia Podoroska in 2020.

The semi‑final spot comes as several top‑10 seeds have been eliminated. World No. 1 Iga Swiatek was ousted early, and Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina (seed 7) lost to Marta Kostyuk in the quarter‑finals, 6‑3, 2‑6, 6‑2. Belarusian top seed Aryna Sabalenka and Russia’s Mirra Andreeva remain in contention for the title.

Chwalinska, who said she was nervous but focused on her game, said she would “sleep, drink tea and maybe watch Netflix” before her next match against Sabalenka or Diana Schnaider on Thursday.