French Open semi-finalist who’s banked £648k fears being kicked out hotel
Maja Chwalinska has stormed into the French Open semi-finals as a qualifier, but the Roland Garros sensation fears she cannot secure a Paris hotel room
Maja Chwalinska has confessed she may not have enough money to book a last-minute hotel room after reaching the semi-finals of the French Open, having never anticipated progressing so deep into the competition.
This year’s French Open has been a dramatic affair, with Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic both eliminated early from the men’s draw following Carlos Alcaraz’s withdrawal. Alexander Zverev is the top remaining seed, as he attempts to finally capture his first Grand Slam title.
In the women’s singles, Aryna Sabalenka endured a stunning loss to Diana Shnaider in the quarter-finals, having breezed through to the last eight. Shnaider will now meet Chwalinska in the semi-finals – a qualifier who has stayed in Paris considerably longer than she ever anticipated.
She defeated Anna Kalinskaya in straight sets to secure her spot in the last four, despite never previously advancing past the second round at a Grand Slam.
Having battled through qualifying, Chwalinska has contested three additional matches compared to Sabalenka throughout the tournament.
She has also banked more prize money at this year’s French Open than she had amassed during her entire career, having earned £643,964 before Roland Garros, with a further £648,428 now assured.
However, that money won’t land immediately, leaving her searching for an affordable hotel room in the French capital.
“Well, I hope there are still some rooms available out there… or that I have enough money, you know? Because I know I earned quite a bit here, but that money doesn’t come immediately. We’ll see what happens, pray for me,” Chwalinska said.
Even after making it through to the last 16, Chwalinska found it difficult to comprehend the scale of what she had accomplished.
“I’m definitely surprised by everything that’s happening. If someone had told me before the tournament that I would reach the round of 16, I probably wouldn’t have believed it,” she said.
“I had never been in such a situation, and that’s why it’s hard to say that I expected something like this. All I tried to do was focus on each match because I knew all my opponents were going to be very tough.”
Chwalinska went under the knife for major surgery in 2022 and has been battling her way back to full fitness ever since. Sitting at No. 114 in the world ahead of the French Open, she will rocket up to No. 30 when the updated rankings are released.
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As well as her surgical comeback, Chwalinska also took time out from the sport for mental health reasons, having found it hard to handle the demands of professional tennis. She was left in floods of tears after booking her spot in the semi-finals, as her remarkable journey continues.
“Honestly, I’m not exactly sure what went through my mind after match point,” she explained.
“There were too many emotions built up. I just felt enormous relief. There were many things happening at once, and I even found it difficult to identify a specific emotion at that moment.”
