Maja Chwalinska

Maja Chwalinska is the Polish left-hander who turned a career spent grinding qualifying draws into one of the most improbable Grand Slam runs of the Open Era. Born in the mining city of Dąbrowa Górnicza, she first picked up a racket at age seven after being spotted through a school recruitment program. She won European 14-and-under and 16-and-under doubles titles in 2015 and 2016, both alongside Iga Świątek, was part of Poland's 2016 Junior Fed Cup-winning team, and reached the 2017 Australian Open junior doubles final. She turned pro in 2016.

Listed at 5-foot-5, Chwalinska is a deliberate anti-power player. She built her game on slice, spin and drop shots — a style she calls "very annoying" — relying on anticipation and a wide array of spins rather than pace, even switching hands for a non-dominant forehand lob when scrambling, and frustrating opponents by landing one extra ball. The return is her weapon: she generates real pressure on second-serve returns and breaks at a high rate, while the serve stays modest — she averages well under one ace per match.

The arc nearly ended before it began. Her rise stalled in 2021, when depression, exhaustion and a lack of self-confidence forced her to step away from tennis. She rebuilt through ITF and WTA 125 events, then authored the breakthrough at the French Open. Ranked No. 114, she became the first qualifier in the Open Era to reach the Roland-Garros women's final, winning nine consecutive matches in Paris. En route she beat Maria Sakkari, Diane Parry, Anna Kalinskaya and Diana Shnaider before falling to Mirra Andreeva in the final.

The run rewired her career. Her Paris result lifted her 93 places to No. 21, her first appearance inside the world's top 100 and a guarantee of direct entry into the biggest tournaments. A clay-court craftswoman now playing on a tour stage she long doubted she belonged on, she is Poland's most-watched name behind Świątek.