PARIS (AP) 鈥� For , the fairy tale run that began three weeks ago in Paris ended in a nightmare.
Her final against Mirra Andreeva promised a fascinating clash of styles on the red clay on Saturday. Instead, it turned into a rout, set in motion by a double fault.
That opening was a bad omen for the Polish qualifier. It was followed by a collapse in which she won only five games before Andreeva sealed by 6-3, 6-2 on Court Philippe-Chatrier.
Chwali艅ska sat dejectedly in her chair for a long time before finding her sense of humor again during the trophy presentation.
鈥淪he is so young and talented, it’s so annoying,鈥� she said about Andreeva, summing up a one-sided final.
The 24-year-old Chwali艅ska became the first qualifier in the tournament’s history to reach the final after arriving in Paris as the world No. 114. But the last hurdle proved too high.
Her eclectic brand of tennis captivated crowds; clever drop shots, slices, moon balls and endless variations of tempo. But her style was blunted and her supporters silenced by Andreeva. She was also largely undone by her own errors as she struggled to find her range in windy conditions.
鈥淚 felt like I have no weapon against her today. She definitely handled the wind much better than me, and she played so smart,” she said.
Chwali艅ska double-faulted the first point of the match and immediately dropped her serve. Andreeva, who was also playing in her first major final, was nervous, too, and allowed the qualifier to stay within touch early on.
Chwali艅ska was the first one to hold her serve for 3-2. But once Andreeva got into the groove, her sheer power was unstoppable. She won nine consecutive games for 6-3, 5-0 and prevented Chwali艅ska from matching at the 2021 U.S. Open.
鈥淚鈥檝e tried my best, I鈥檓 sorry,鈥� Chwali艅ska told the crowd.
Andreeva said she was nervous at the start because she had never played against Chwali艅ska. She said coping with the tricky weather conditions was key.
鈥淚 couldn鈥檛 understand at some point which way the wind was going,鈥� she said. 鈥淚鈥檓 just happy that I鈥檝e dealt with these conditions and adjusted to the conditions maybe a little bit faster than she did.鈥�
The disappointment did not erase everything Chwali艅ska accomplished in Paris. She came through three qualifying rounds to reach the main draw and went all the way to the final in only her third Grand Slam tournament. Her best previous result at a major was the second round at 2022 Wimbledon. She took a break from tennis a few years ago while dealing with depression.
鈥淚鈥檒l never forget these three weeks, for sure,鈥� she said. The experience will do wonders for her confidence against the big names she will meet more of. 鈥淏ecause I鈥檝e never really played against the high-ranked players before. It was the very first time that I faced them.鈥�
Her ranking will soar and her bank balance has received a significant boost as well. Chwali艅ksa is set to rise to a ranking of 21. Her career prize money heading into Roland Garros was $864,030. She’s tripled that by reaching the final and earning 1.4 million euros ($1.6 million).
Chwali艅ksa will now turn her focus to grass courts. If she does not receive a wild card, she would need to go through qualifying at Wimbledon.
鈥淟ast year it was a struggle for me on grass, but before I loved playing on grass. I feel like I can use a lot of touch and slices,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 move pretty well on the court and I anticipate pretty well. I鈥檓 ready for the challenge.鈥�
And before Wimbledon, there are also some simple pleasures ahead after the high amount of stress of her Parisian campaign.
鈥淚 couldn鈥檛 eat for the last three weeks,” she said. “Like, my coaches were eating pizza, and I was, like, 鈥楴o.鈥� So, yeah, I鈥檓 just actually excited to kind of finish the tournament, and maybe the joy of eating will come back.”
___
AP tennis:
Copyright © 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
