Article by Luminița Paul – Published on Saturday, 30 May 2026, 20:36 / Updated on Saturday, 30 May 2026 20:37
Maja Chwalinska (24 years old, 114th WTA rank) advanced to the round of 16 at Roland Garros after 1-6, 6-3, 6-2 with Maria Sakkari (30 years old, world number 49), after passing the qualifications. She gave an emotional speech at the end, where she also talked about the financial reward.
She became only the second Polish player in history to reach the second week of a major tournament after qualifying first, the first being Marta Domachowska at the 2008 Australian Open.
It was an emotional victory for world number 114 Maja Chwalinska in two hours and 7 minutes, 1-6, 6-3, 6-2 over Maria Sakkarian opponent with more experience at the top level, even though she is currently ranked 49th in the world.
“It was an extremely physically demanding match. I was exhausted after the first set, or rather even during the first set, but I'm very happy that I kept fighting and tried to fight for every ball, thinking that the situation could change,” she said after the match, in the press conference.
There were also tears at the end, a feeling of disbelief. “So many things went through my mind, I felt overwhelmed“, she explained. Then she talked about the difficulties encountered in her career. “In the years after the surgery, which I had in 2022, I took things one step at a time. 2023 was difficult, with many difficult moments. Later in 2024 I managed to win more matches and 2025 was full of changes“, she summed up.
“I played some new tournaments, it was a different experience. And I also think it took time for those changes to work. I think that's why I'm here now, because I trusted the process,” Chwalinska explained.
Maja Chwalinska and the coach who is like a father to her
Maja Chwalinska in action at Roland Garros 2026 Photo: Guliver/GettyImages
She has been working with a Czech coach for six years, Jaroslav Machovsky. “I owe him a lot. I started in 2020, it's like a father-daughter relationship, he supports me a lot. I think that's his main role, he gives me peace. He's an important person I can always rely on,” assured Maja.
“I feel happy and excited,” the coach said in an interview for interia.pl. “I have no words. He played fantastic. He had run out of energy, but I don't know how such a small body can recover so quickly. How much strength do you need to defeat so many opponents?“, he asked himself.
“I don't think I know anyone her age who has picked herself up so many times in her career and persevered after difficult times,” Machovsky pointed out. She has also been collaborating with former Czech player Peter Hajek since last year. “He is a young coach, he is also my sparring partner,” Maja pointed out.
At the end, she also talked about the financial reward, which she had alluded to in the field interview, in connection with the extension of her stay in Paris and the reservation of hotel rooms. “I know I made a lot of money here, but it doesn't come in that fast, you know? We'll see, pray for meshe said.
For the final eight he receives 285,000 euros. How long will they have enough to cover their expenses?
“It should be taken into account that the taxes in France are huge, then they have to be paid in Poland as well. It sounds great when you hear the amount, but in reality you're left with half of it at the end of the tournament. So I don't know, I can't estimate how long they will last me“, concluded the Polish player.
She will face the Frenchwoman for a place in the “quarters”. Diane Parry (23 years old, 92nd place in the world), this will be their first duel in the professional circuit.
