Paris, June 5 - Maja Chwalinska's remarkable run as the first qualifier to reach a French Open final in the professional era marks the culmination of a dream the Polish 24-year-old has pursued with relentless passion and discipline for over a decade.
Chwalinska defeated Diana Shnaider in the semi-final and will face eighth seed Mirra Andreeva in Saturday's final. She has battled through nine matches at Roland Garros, dropping only one set.
Old videos of a young Chwalinska have been circulating on Polish social media. In one archived interview, a 13-year-old Chwalinska said, "To play this sport professionally, you need qualities like perseverance. You have to keep working on yourself all the time and not give up."
Her parents spoke about the sacrifices required. Her father, Tomasz, noted, "She has her entire day planned out from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m., organizing everything around doing her homework at school so she doesn't have to miss training." Her mother, Marcela, added, "Maja is still a child, but right now she has no time for childhood."
Despite the demands, young Chwalinska found joy in the game. "Tennis is happiness. It really is. It's simply something wonderful," she said.
Now, after her semi-final win, Chwalinska calls herself a "tennis freak." Asked as a child which Grand Slam she dreamed of winning, she chose Roland Garros, perhaps influenced by the clay courts of her home club in Bielsko-Biala.