Venus Williams Backs Maja Chwalinska to Complete Fairytale Run at Roland Garros: “It’s Definitely a Cinderella Story”

Maja Chwalinska has inched closer to scripting history at the French Open. On Thursday (June 4), she knocked out Diana Shnaider in straight sets, securing a spot in a Grand Slam final for the first time in her career.

If Chwalinska defeats Mirra Andreeva, she will become the first qualifier to win the Roland Garros title, with Venus Williams backing the Pole to complete her fairytale run. The seven-time Grand Slam singles champion also explained what makes Chwalinska a dangerous player.

It’s definitely a Cinderella story… I think one of the advantages that she has, Maja, is that no one’s played her before. She’s seen everyone else play; no one’s played her, and she plays a little bit different than most players. Every player is used to seeing maybe a little more pace, a little more speed; the women’s game has become even more of a power game than it ever was.

Venus Williams said on TNT Sports

En route to the final, Chwalinska went past 2024 Paris Olympics gold medalist Qinwen Zheng in the first round, before defeating Elise Mertens, Maria Sakkari, Diane Parry, Anna Kalinskaya, and Shnaider. Andreeva will also be playing in her career’s first Grand Slam final.

The 19-year-old will also be playing in her fourth final of the season after the Adelaide International (beat Victoria Mboko), Linz Open (beat Anastasia Potapova), and the Madrid Open (lost to Marta Kostyuk).

She’s coming out, like, rolling the ball, and everybody’s like, What do we do? Maybe overhitting, overplaying, overthinking, thinking, and I should be winning easier. So she definitely has that advantage, and Mirra is gonna have a lot to think about.

Venus Williams added

In her semifinal, Andreeva ended Kostyuk’s 17-match winning streak that started at the Open de Rouen, where she defeated countrywoman Veronika Podrez and later upset Coco Gauff in the Madrid Open final. Her win over countrywoman Elina Svitolina made Kostyuk the first Ukrainian to reach the Roland Garros semifinal.

Diana Shnaider defends Maja Chwalinska’s playing style

Before entering Roland Garros, Maja Chwalinska was a top-100 player, and now she is close to making her top-20 debut. If she wins, she will reach a career-best No.14 ranking. Diana Shnaider, at the press conference after her exit, explained what makes the 24-year-old a tough rival.

Sometimes the depth of tennis is underestimated. I knew her; we played once in a WTA 60K in 2022. Even then, her playing style was similar; it didn’t change suddenly. She is a very tough rival, especially on clay, where you have to resist and extend the points, and she does it very well. Sometimes, she is underestimated just because of her ranking. I saw her defeat Qinwen in the first round, then Mertens and Sakkari.

Chwalinska had made it to the main draw rounds of Grand Slam events just twice prior to this French Open. She has yet to win a tour-level tournament. But Mirra Andreeva, the winner of five singles titles from seven finals, has already taken home two Big Titles: the 2025 Dubai Tennis Championships and the 2025 Indian Wells Open by defeating Clara Tauson and Aryna Sabalenka, respectively.

Before her defeat to Chwalinska, Shnaider ended last year’s runner-up Sabalenka’s run. The Russian ace also made it to the semifinal of a Major for the first time in her career.

Last year’s champion, Coco Gauff, suffered a three-set upset at the hands of Anastasia Potapova in the third round. Four-time Roland Garros champion Iga Swiatek‘s run was ended by Marta Kostyuk in the fourth round, while reigning Australian Open champion Elena Rybakina exited after making the second round.

Also read: Flavio Cobolli Reveals ‘Crazy’ Rafael Nadal Shower Superstition After Reaching Roland Garros Semifinal