Chwalińska, ranked No. 114 in the world, beat the Chinese player 6-4, 6-0 on Monday in her main-draw debut at Roland Garros after coming through qualifying, where she won three matches without losing a set.
Zheng, ranked No. 56, won Olympic gold in Paris in 2024 but has recently struggled with injuries.
"Qinwen is definitely a top-level player," Chwalińska told reporters after the match. "I think she's one of the best clay-court players in the world, so this is a valuable victory for me."
The 24-year-old Pole said she did not consider herself to be in the form of her life despite the result.
"The goal is to win the next match," she said. "Thinking that I’m in the form of my life would probably not help me."
'I want to win again'
The victory is expected to move Chwalińska into the world's top 100 for the first time in her career. She rose to a projected No. 97 in the live rankings after the win.
"Breaking into the top 100 was my goal for this year," she said. "It’s funny with tennis. I wanted it so badly and told my coaches that when I finally made the top 100, we would celebrate. But today I feel that I want more.”
Chwalińska has worked for the past year with fitness coach Maciej Ryszczuk, who also works with Polish star Iga Świątek, a four-time French Open champion.
"I can feel and see on the court that the physical training is producing results," she said. "I play differently from many players because my physical conditions do not allow me to play such power tennis as most of them. But I've become stronger, which allows me to play more aggressively."
It was only the second Grand Slam match win of Chwalińska’s career after reaching the second round at Wimbledon in 2022.
"I don’t feel this is some turning point," she said. "I’m happy to be in the second round, but I want to win again."
Chwalińska will next face Belgium’s Elise Mertens, the tournament’s No. 23 seed, on Thursday.
(gs)
Source: IAR, PAP