From unsponsored to French Open finalist: Maja Chwalinska in for massive payday
The 2026 French Open final has been a mainstay for Polish women after Iga Swiatek won the tournament four times in the past six years. That trend continues, but the Polish woman in the final Saturday won’t be Swiatek.
Maja Chwalinska punched her ticket to the French Open Final on Saturday, becoming the first qualifier in tournament history to reach the championship match. She entered the French Open ranked No. 114 in the world and will jump into the Top 20 following a Cinderella run that has left her speechless.
“It’s like a dream, honestly,” Chwalinska said after defeating No. 25 seed Diana Shnaider 7-6 (4), 6-4 in the semifinal on Thursday. “I don’t know what’s going on. I don’t know what to say. I’m just very happy.”
Entering the French Open, only her third career appearance in a Grand Slam main draw, Chwalinska had earned $864,030 in her career, according to the WTA. Her payday on Saturday alone will surpass that.
Chwalinska will make at least $1.6 million in prize money for reaching the French Open final. That number will jump to nearly $3.3 million if she’s able to defeat fellow first-time finalist Mirra Andreeva and win it all.
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Chwalinska’s miraculous run to the French Open final began three weeks ago in the qualifying round, but she’s the first to admit that she didn’t fully anticipate playing into the final weekend of the tournament. Following her quarterfinal win over Diane Parry, Chwalinska revealed that her growing hotel bill concerns her.
“I hope there are still some rooms available out there… or that I have enough money,” she said, according to Tennis Up To Date. “Because I know I earned quite a bit here, but that money doesn’t come immediately. We’ll see what happens, pray for me.”
On Thursday, Chwalinska revealed that the Polish company Oshee stepped up to help her with accommodations.
“I’m not sponsored,” Chwalinska said during her press conference on Thursday. “I’m very grateful for the Oshee company to help me to cover my hotel expenses this three weeks now.”
That’s likely to change. Chwalinska opened the first round with a win straight-set wins over Zheng Qinwen (6-4, 6-0) and No. 23 Elise Mertens (6-4, 6-0) to reach the third round of a major for the first time in her career. She continued the momentum with a three-set win over Maria Sakkari (1-6, 6-3, 6-2) and downed Diane Parry (6-3, 6-2) to advance to the quarterfinals. It took her two sets to get past Shnaider and advance to the final.
“It’s so challenging to play against the best players in the world day by day, but I mean, it’s a Grand Slam, so you just got to give your all and more and yeah, I’m not complaining at all,” said Chwalinska, who admitted she feels “not great” after playing her ninth match of the tournament, dating back to the qualifying round.
Chwalinska will face off against Mirra Andreeva in the French Open women’s final on Saturday.
“I watched Mirra (Andreeva) a bit. They were playing before us, so I watched her game and it was incredible. It’s just another great experience for me. I will for sure give my all. It’s a Grand Slam final,” Chwalinska said. “My goal was to be in the top 100 (ranking) this year. That was the main goal. Coming here, my goal was to qualify. I feel like I’m doing a good job.”
Reach USA TODAY National Women’s Sports Reporter Cydney Henderson at chenderson@gannett.com and follow her on X at @CydHenderson.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Qualifier Maja Chwalinska reaches French Open final; sponsor foots bill
