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For the fifth time in the last seven years, a Polish women's tennis player will play in the French Open final. And for the first time, it is not superstar Iga Świątek, who won the singles title in each of the previous four appearances by a Polish athlete.
Enter underdog Maja Chwalińska, who is in the middle of one of the biggest Cinderella runs of this sports summer.
After defeating Diana Shnaider in straight sets during Thursday's semifinal, the 24-year-old Chwalińska will get a chance to win her first-ever Grand Slam singles title this Saturday at Roland-Garros, with the No. 8 seed Mirra Andreeva standing in her way. This is not intended as a knock to Andreeva, who will rightfully and likely be favored in the matchup. But with all things considered, matching up against Andreeva instead of the four highest-ranked players in the world in Aryna Sabalenka, Elena Rybakina, Świątek, and Coco Gauff, who all fell before the semifinals, should be considered a blessing for a dark horse like Chwalińska.
Chwalińska shouldn't be taken lightly, either. That's because she hasn't merely scraped by her opponents during this French Open run; she's dominated them. Chwalińska has only lost a single set over the course of the entire tournament to this stage. Of course, none of Chwalińska's opponents have been seeded higher than No. 22 so far, with Andreeva representing a significant step up in competition.
Still, betting against Chwalińska, who is the lowest-ranked player to reach the French Open final in decades and only the second-ever qualifier to reach the final, would be foolish. She's playing with house money, and that sort of mindset from an athlete always makes them markedly more dangerous:
Regardless of what happens on Saturday, Chwalińska has already changed her life. Her total tennis career earnings before this French Open were $864,030. She's earned roughly double that, $1.6 million, in this tournament alone. And if she comes out on top in the final? Chwalińska will earn another $3.25 million on top of that cash. Not bad for a player who once stepped away from the game entirely due to injuries and depression.
Chwalińska has spent most of her career in Świątek's shadow as she rose to the top of the sport. Now, she has an opportunity to finish the job in the modern queen of clay's signature tournament and continue Poland's new tennis dynasty in Paris.
What a lovely plot twist built on a young woman's sheer perseverance and resilience.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Maja Chwalińska can continue Poland's new French Open tradition
Continue reading...
Enter underdog Maja Chwalińska, who is in the middle of one of the biggest Cinderella runs of this sports summer.
After defeating Diana Shnaider in straight sets during Thursday's semifinal, the 24-year-old Chwalińska will get a chance to win her first-ever Grand Slam singles title this Saturday at Roland-Garros, with the No. 8 seed Mirra Andreeva standing in her way. This is not intended as a knock to Andreeva, who will rightfully and likely be favored in the matchup. But with all things considered, matching up against Andreeva instead of the four highest-ranked players in the world in Aryna Sabalenka, Elena Rybakina, Świątek, and Coco Gauff, who all fell before the semifinals, should be considered a blessing for a dark horse like Chwalińska.
Chwalińska shouldn't be taken lightly, either. That's because she hasn't merely scraped by her opponents during this French Open run; she's dominated them. Chwalińska has only lost a single set over the course of the entire tournament to this stage. Of course, none of Chwalińska's opponents have been seeded higher than No. 22 so far, with Andreeva representing a significant step up in competition.
Still, betting against Chwalińska, who is the lowest-ranked player to reach the French Open final in decades and only the second-ever qualifier to reach the final, would be foolish. She's playing with house money, and that sort of mindset from an athlete always makes them markedly more dangerous:
Regardless of what happens on Saturday, Chwalińska has already changed her life. Her total tennis career earnings before this French Open were $864,030. She's earned roughly double that, $1.6 million, in this tournament alone. And if she comes out on top in the final? Chwalińska will earn another $3.25 million on top of that cash. Not bad for a player who once stepped away from the game entirely due to injuries and depression.
Chwalińska has spent most of her career in Świątek's shadow as she rose to the top of the sport. Now, she has an opportunity to finish the job in the modern queen of clay's signature tournament and continue Poland's new tennis dynasty in Paris.
What a lovely plot twist built on a young woman's sheer perseverance and resilience.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Maja Chwalińska can continue Poland's new French Open tradition
Continue reading...
