A little known qualifier has turned heads at Roland Garros after Maja Chwalinska produced a stunning breakthrough run to reach the women’s singles semifinals at the French Open in France.

The 24-year-old from Poland arrived in Paris with just two tour level clay court wins to her name, but has now far exceeded that total after a surge through the draw. Ranked world number 114, Chwalinska continued her run with a composed 7-6 (7-3) 6-3 victory over 22nd seed Anna Kalinskaya.

Her latest win places her in rare company, becoming only the second qualifier in the Open era to reach the Roland Garros women’s semifinals, following Nadia Podoroska in 2020. Across all Grand Slams, she is just the sixth qualifier ever to reach that stage.

Only one qualifier in history, Britain’s Emma Raducanu at the 2021 US Open, has gone on to lift the title.

Next up is a showdown with Diana Shnaider, who herself produced a shock result by defeating world number one Aryna Sabalenka, setting up an unexpected semifinal clash that few predicted at the start of the tournament.