PARIS (AP) — Maja Chwalinska extended her remarkable French Open run by beating No. 22-seeded Anna Kalinskaya 7-6 (3), 6-3 Wednesday to reach the semifinals.
The unseeded Chwalinska came through three qualifying rounds to become only the second Polish woman to reach the semifinals at Roland Garros, along with four-time champion Iga Swiatek.
Kalinskaya's wild shot at the net gave Chwalinska a match point and she converted it when Kalinskaya's big forehand from the back of the court went out.
The 24-year-old Chwalinska put her hand over her mouth and then her face in her hands in near disbelief.
“I honestly don't know what's going on. Every single match here is kind of crazy for me,” she said. “I was definitely nervous. I'm stressed of course but I try and focus on my job, on my game.”
Chwalinska had never been beyond the second round at any major before this tournament.
“I'm playing against the best players in the world," she said. “I won't compare myself to them.”
Her next opponent will be the winner of Wednesday’s last remaining women’s quarterfinal between top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka, last year’s runner-up, and No. 25 Diana Shnaider.
After they traded early breaks of serve amid blustery conditions with the roof open on Court Philippe-Chatrier, Chwalinska led 5-1 until Kalinskaya broke back in the seventh game, having saved a set point, then held for 5-3.
Kalinskaya saved another set point at 40-30 down in the following game, then used her strong backhand to break a nervous-looking Chwalinska's serve again.
A fan waved a Poland flag when Chwalinska held in the 11th game to stem Kalinskaya's comeback. The flag was raised again when she won a 25-stroke rally to move 5-3 up in the tiebreaker, and she clinched the first set at the third opportunity when Kalinskaya’s two-handed backhand sailed long.
Chwalinska secured a double break of serve to lead 4-1 in the second set, but dropped her serve when serving for the match at 5-2.
It made little difference as Kalinskaya’s flagging serve soon gave her another chance.
In the two remaining men's quarterfinals, No. 4 Felix Auger-Aliassime took on No. 10 Flavio Cobolli before unseeded Italians Matteo Berrettini and Matteo Arnaldi faced off.
All of Wednesday's matches were held on Chatrier.
Second-seeded Alexander Zverev and No. 26 Jakub Mensik won their quarterfinals Tuesday and will meet in the semifinals. ___
AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Please purchase a Premium Subscription to continue reading.
To continue, please log in, or sign up for a new account.
We offer one free story view per month. If you register for an account, you will get two additional story views. After those three total views, we ask that you support us with a subscription.
A subscription to our digital content is so much more than just access to our valuable content. It means you’re helping to support a local community institution that has, from its very start, supported the betterment of our society. Thank you very much!
Only subscribers can view and post comments on articles.
Already a subscriber? Login Here
Amy Sousa, a women's rights activist and psychologist, Keith Lierre, founder of Women's Libe… Read moreTalk at RWC Library - The transgender assault on Women and Girls
Join the San Mateo Daily Journal in Fiesta Hall at the Community Expo at the San Mateo County Fair! Read moreSan Mateo Community Expo at the Fair
CA Is Burning said:
CA Is Burning said:
The government thinks it can fix everything, there is no superglue. How about if the city fixed the streets and filled the 10,000 potholes
Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.
Error! There was an error processing your request.
Sorry, an error occurred.
Already Subscribed!
Cancel anytime
Thank you .
Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in.
Check your email for details.
Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password.
An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account.
No promotional rates found.
Secure & Encrypted
Thank you.
Your gift purchase was successful! Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in.
| Rate: | |
| Begins: | |
| Transaction ID: |
A receipt was sent to your email.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Anyone violating these rules will be issued a warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be revoked.