Maja Chwalinska reaches first Slam semi

Maja Chwalinska arrived in Paris with one Grand Slam main-draw match win on her record and left Wednesday’s quarterfinal with a place in the Roland-Garros semifinals. The 24-year-old Polish qualifier beat 22nd-seeded Anna Kalinskaya 7-6(3), 6-3 on Court Philippe-Chatrier on June 3 to reach the last four of a major for the first time. Roland-Garros and the WTA said Chwalinska became only the second qualifier in the Open Era to reach the women’s semifinals in Paris, matching Nadia Podoroska’s 2020 run. Reuters reported Chwalinska’s victory was her eighth in a row in Paris, counting qualifying. ### How unusual is this run? The WTA said Chwalinska is only the second qualifier in the Open Era to make the Roland-Garros women’s semifinals and the sixth qualifier to reach the semifinals at any women’s Grand Slam. Roland-Garros said the world No. 114 had previously won only one main-draw match at a major, at Wimbledon in 2022, and had fallen in qualifying in Paris in 2021, 2023 and 2025. (rolandgarros.com) Roland-Garros said Chwalinska is the fourth Polish woman in the Open Era to reach a Grand Slam semifinal, after Agnieszka Radwanska, Magda Linette and Iga Swiatek. Reuters said the result will move her into the top 30 after the tournament, a jump from No. 114 at the start of the week. (rolandgarros.com) ### How did she beat Kalinskaya? Wednesday’s match turned on the first set. The WTA said Chwalinska led 5-1 before Kalinskaya fought back to 5-5, but the Pole recovered to take the tiebreak and then broke serve twice in the second set. Reuters described the match as being played in windswept conditions, with Chwalinska extending rallies and drawing errors from Kalinskaya. (rolandgarros.com) Chwalinska told reporters the conditions demanded extra concentration. “The conditions were very tough. It was very windy today. You just need to be very focused,” she said, according to the WTA. Roland-Garros quoted her saying, “I honestly don’t know what is going on,” and, “Every single match here is kind of crazy for me. I’m very grateful.” (wtatennis.com) ### What was different about the matchup? Reuters reported Kalinskaya said the cold and wind reduced the pace on the ball and favored Chwalinska’s style. “It was cold today, so the ball was going slower. I couldn't use my speed, my power,” Kalinskaya said, according to Reuters. Reuters also said Chwalinska had won only two tour-level matches on clay before this tournament. (wtatennis.com) Roland-Garros described Chwalinska’s game on Wednesday as built around assertive play, a skidding slice and angled forehands. The official tournament report said she bounced back after an early break and controlled enough of the longer exchanges to keep Kalinskaya from dictating consistently. (thestar.com.my) ### What has she said about the scale of it? Reuters reported Chwalinska said her goal for 2026 was to break into the top 100 and that her goal on arrival in Paris was simply to qualify. “Obviously, I didn't expect it to happen that way. But, I mean, I'm not complaining,” she told a news conference, according to Reuters. (rolandgarros.com) Roland-Garros quoted her earlier in the tournament saying, “Nobody knows me, to be honest,” a line the tournament’s match report used to frame how quickly her status has changed over three weeks in Paris. Reuters said she has dropped only one set across her run through qualifying and the main draw. (thestar.com.my) ### Who is next, and when? Diana Shnaider became Chwalinska’s semifinal opponent after beating world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka on Wednesday, according to Roland-Garros. The semifinal is scheduled for Thursday, June 4, in Paris, with a place in Saturday’s final at stake. (rolandgarros.com)