Less than five years ago, Chwalinska was considering quitting tennis for good.
The Pole has credited the support of the people around her – and the openness of fellow players such as Naomi Osaka in speaking about their mental health – in helping her gradual return to the tennis court as she struggled with depression.
Having not won a Grand Slam main-draw match since Wimbledon in 2022, and falling in 12 of her 14 qualifying attempts, Chwalinska said after her quarter-final win over Anna Kalinskaya that her goal in Paris was simply to make the main draw.
It is a mystery to her as much as anyone how she now finds herself on a nine-match winning streak on the Parisian clay, having dropped just one set along the way.
That was against former world number three Maria Sakkari, while Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen and a third top-25 seed, Elise Mertens, were also unable to deny the unflinching underdog.
Perhaps even more remarkably, Chwalinska has not only handled the pressure of competing on one of the sport’s grandest stages – she thrives on it.
The Pole has played with infectious freedom and joyful creativity, further endearing her to a Roland Garros crowd who on Thursday evening willed her on in pursuit of a once unthinkable dream.
But Chwalinska also proved her mettle against Shnaider, conqueror of world number one Aryna Sabalenka, recovering from 4-2 down in the first set tie-break and striking in the ninth game of the second before serving out victory untroubled.
While her aim for the year was to break the world’s top 100, she is now projected to rise to 21st – and could climb 100 places if she lifts the trophy.
She is also guaranteed to leave with prize money amounting to £1.2m, rising to £2.4m with victory, having arrived with total career earnings of £642,400 only 17 days ago.
