Maja Chwalinska Reaches Roland Garros Semifinal After Defeating Kalinskaya. Maja Chwalinska claimed victory over Anna Kalinskaya to reach her first-ever Roland Garros semifinal. The Polish player started from the qualifiers and will now compete for a spot in the final. This marks a historic achievement for Polish tennis.
One of the most unexpected Roland Garros quarterfinals has ended in Paris: Maja Chwalińska, who started the tournament in the qualifiers, defeated Anna Kalinskaya to reach the semifinals of one of the world's most prestigious tennis tournaments for the first time in her career. The Polish athlete continues her string of upsets, leaving more experienced opponents behind and strengthening the position of Polish tennis on the global stage.
Just two weeks ago, Chwalińska was fighting for a place in the main draw, and few expected that she, rather than Iga Świątek, would become one of the main protagonists of Roland Garros. Her win over Zheng Qinwen was already a breakthrough toward the WTA top 100, but even greater victories followed — against Elise Mertens, Maria Sakkari, and Diane Parry.
In the quarterfinals, Chwalińska's opponent was Anna Kalinskaya, one of the tournament favorites. Despite challenging weather conditions — with the roof open and strong winds adding an element of unpredictability — the Polish player managed to turn the match around. She was trailing in the first set but then won three games in a row and, after a tense tiebreak, took the lead.
In the second set, Chwalińska quickly took the initiative, broke her opponent's serve twice, and did not allow Kalinskaya to come back, despite the Russian’s attempts to close the gap. The final score — 7:6(3), 6:3 — put the Pole into the semifinals, where she will face either Aryna Sabalenka or Diana Shnaider.
This result was historic: Hvalinska is only the second Polish tennis player in the Open Era to reach the singles semifinals at Roland Garros. By making it to the semifinals, she has secured at least 780 ranking points and will enter the world’s top 30, guaranteeing her seeding at the major tournaments of the season.
Interest in women's tennis in Europe is steadily growing, and the successes of Polish athletes have become a notable trend in recent years. For comparison, other high-profile events related to health and safety have also recently been discussed in Paris, such as the tightening of quarantine after a hantavirus case.
Roland Garros is the second most important Grand Slam tournament, held annually on the clay courts of Paris. A victory in the semifinals would give Hvalinska a chance to play in the final of such a prestigious event for the first time in her career. The next match for the Pole will take place on Thursday.
