Saturday’s French Open women’s singles final brings together two very different stories: Russian eighth seed Mirra Andreeva, the teenage prodigy and overwhelming favourite, and Poland’s Maja Chwalinska, an unheralded qualifier whose remarkable run has become one of the defining stories of the tournament. On paper, it may look like a mismatch, but Chwalinska’s nine-match surge in Paris has proved that appearances can be misleading.

Andreeva enters the final as the clear favourite after a dominant run through the draw. The Russian has dropped only 12 games across her last three matches.

Chwalinska, ranked 114th in the world before the tournament, had to win three qualifying matches just to reach the main draw.

Nine victories later, the 24-year-old Pole is one win away from one of the most unlikely Grand Slam titles of the Open Era.

Only one qualifier had previously reached a Grand Slam final in the Open Era: Emma Raducanu at the 2021 U.S. Open, where she went on to win the title.

Chwalinska beat Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen and Elise Mertens in straight sets in the first two rounds, winning the second set 6-0 in both matches. The only set Chwalinska has dropped during her three weeks in Paris came against Maria Sakkari in the last 32.

Chwalinska’s run guarantees her a rise to at least No. 21 in the WTA rankings, giving her entry into the sport’s biggest events.

By reaching the final, Chwalinska has already more than doubled her career prize money of $864,030.

The runner-up will receive 1.4 million euros, or around $1.63 million, while the champion will earn 2.8 million euros, or around $3.26 million.

Since prize money is paid only after the final, Chwalinska needed support from a Polish company to fund her extended hotel stay in Paris.

“It’s going to be a new match for both of us. I don’t really know her game style. We’re just going to stick to the routine: practising before the match, playing Uno, talk about the match, warm-up, tape, and then go on the court.”

Mirra Andreeva

“I mean, I was outside (the) top 100, and now I’m in the finals of a Grand Slam, so I feel like it’s a big thing. So it’s hard to process it. Let’s not pretend someone expected it “

Maja Chwalinska