Maja Chwalinska is into the Roland Garros final after a 7-6(4) 6-4 victory over Diana Shnaider.
The Polish qualifier produced another stunning performance to reach a first Grand Slam final of her career.
It’s disappointment for Shnaider after she couldn’t back up her win over world number one Aryna Sabalenka.
Chwalinska is the first qualifier in the Open Era to reach the Roland Garros final and will now face Mirra Andreeva.
The early signs were that this match was going to be a long one with the first two games going to Deuce as Shnaider saved an early break point.
Both players were displaying extremely good variety but it was the Chwalinska dropshot which was attracting a lot of attention.
The Polish qualifier was fearless and her incredible selection of shots was on show with her racket acting like a magic wand.
An impressive return game from the Pole in the fourth game saw Chwalinska break to love for a 3-1 lead as Shnaider committed early errors.
However, Shnaider needed to stick to the gameplan of taking risks using depth and going for the lines.
That was a feature of Shnaider’s play as she broke back immediately and put pressure on the qualifier immediately.
A crucial hold of serve for Shnaider in the following game as she saved break point as she aimed to grab control of this match.
However, Chwalinska was unfazed and her mixture of lobs and dropshots were extremely effective.
It wasn’t just Chwalinska’s variety that was extremely impressive, it was the Pole’s power and aggression that made her so tough to play against.
Despite this, Shnaider matched her shot for shot as she had her opportunities to break Chwalinska’s serve in the eleventh game.
Some agonizing misses left Shnaider frustrated as she failed to take her two break points and Chwalinska dived into her creative box of tricks to hold for a 6-5 lead.
A tiebreak would decide the opening set and Shnaider had figured out the backhand cross-court to take the early advantage for a 4-2 lead.
Unfazed by the deficit, Chwalinska went for her shots and constructed some innovative points to leave Shnaider fustrated.
Five points in a row secured the opening set that lasted 77 minutes as the Pole had the advantage in this contest but remained focused on the task at hand.
In the second set Chwalinska continued the momentum as she broke in the opening game with some aggressive tennis.
Shnaider hit back and refused to give up as she produced consistent quality, power and variety to break immediately back.
At the change of ends Chwalinska asked for the doctors as she wasn’t feeling the best but she continued to produce incredible dropshots and variety to frustrate Shnaider.
There was no letting up in the intensity despite Chwalinska refusing to engage in long rallies as Shnaider missed her opportunities in the middle of the set.
That would cost Shnaider as Chwalinska broke serve comfortably in the ninth game with a mixture of dropshots and lobs as she outsmarted Shnaider on a consistent basis.
An forehand passing shot winner would seal the biggest victory of Chwalinska’s career as her fairytale story continued as she is the first qualifier in the Open Era to reach the Roland Garros final.
After the match Chwalinska admitted this is a ‘dream’ to reach the final as she got emotional, “I mean, like a dream. Honestly, I don’t know what is going on. I don’t know what to say, I’m sorry,” Chwalinska was quoted by the BBC Sport website as saying.
“I mean not great – I won’t lie. It is so challenging to play against the best players in the world day by day. It is a Grand Slam, so you have to give your all and more. I am not complaining at all! I am crazy sometimes, but I try to stay composed as I know it is the best way for me. It helps me to play my best tennis, so that is what I am trying to do. Inside there is a storm with me.
“I have played like eight matches here already or more. So there are no secrets. I watched Mirra Andreeva a bit playing before us, so I watched her game. It was incredible. It is just another great experience for me. I will for sure give my all – it is a Grand Slam final.”
It’s disappointment for Shnaider who couldn’t back up her win over world number one Aryna Sabalenka.
However, Chwalinska will aim to create more history on Saturday against eighth seed Mirra Andreeva.
