Olympic champion on her knees! The Pole’s dream start at Roland Garros
Maja Chwalińska won against Qinwen Zheng in the first round match on the courts. Roland Garros. The Chinese woman is the Olympic champion (2024), but she failed to defeat the Pole.
We have already written many times in WPROST that Maja Chwalińska deserves increasingly louder applause, looking at the Polish woman’s form in recent months. For example, what Iga Świątek’s friend showed during the qualifications for the Grand Slam challenge in Paris.
Chwalińska on the tennis courts. Roland Garros didn’t get anything for free. The Pole first went through three-stage qualifications. Then Chwalińska ran into Qinwen Zheng in the tournament bracket. That is, the Chinese Olympic champion – of course – from the Games in Paris (2024). Fans certainly remember that in the semi-finals, Zheng sensationally eliminated Świątek, bringing the Polish favorite to tears.
On Monday morning (i.e. May 25), there may have been tears, but mainly on the Chinese woman’s side. Chwalińska showed her why she has been in such good shape recently. The Pole showed some really solid tennis, only allowing her opponent to take the initiative for a moment.
Maja Chwalińska outplayed Qinwen Zheng. What a match for a Polish tennis player!
The Polish player, who came to Paris with a WTA ranking of 114, was leading 4:1 in the first set, and allowed the Chinese to make up for the loss, making it 4:4. But that was really all Zheng accomplished that day. The Chinese woman is far from what she presented in the past, currently being number 56 in the world, but this is not Chwalińska’s problem.
The Pole implemented her plan perfectly. Zheng tried to save herself… with a medical break, with the score 0:3 from her perspective. But it was no use. A few minutes of break did not stop Chwalińska from her rhythm, and after a relatively even 6:4 in the first part, she triumphed in great style in the second – 6:0!
Let us add that for the Pole, today’s match was her debut in the main draw of the tournament. Roland Garros. If you want to join such a group, you should do it in this style, big applause!
Roland Garros 2026. Where and when to watch the tournament in Paris?
It is worth recalling that Iga Świątek won the Grand Slam event in the French capital four times. The Pole won for the first time in 2020. Then Świątek truly “introduced herself” to a wider audience.
Successes in the form of wins on the courts. The best Polish tennis player also repeated Roland Garros in 2022, 2023 and 2024. Last season, Świątek reached the semi-finals of the event, losing to Aryna Sabalenka after a three-set match. However, the Belarusian did not win the cup in Paris, because it ultimately fell to the American Coco Gauff. The US tennis player will therefore defend her championship title.
The list of Świątek’s successes in Paris also includes the Olympic medal, which the Pole won during the 2024 Games. Although the “Queen of Paris” was the main favorite for the Olympic gold medal, the Polish representative ultimately won the “consolation” in the form of a bronze medal. Looking at history, the first tennis event in the history of the Polish Olympic movement – which is certainly worth noting.
RG 2026 matches are shown on Eurosport, on a total of four channels of the station. Additionally, the online competition is available via the HBO Max platform. The competition in the main tournament is scheduled from May 24 to June 7.
