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Tennis: Poland's Chwalińska stuns Sakkari to reach French Open last 16

30.05.2026 17:30
Poland's Maja Chwalińska has reached the fourth round of the French Open – the best Grand Slam result of her career – after beating Greece's Maria Sakkari 1-6, 6-3, 6-2 in Paris.
Polands Maja Chwalińska in action during her third round match against Greeces Maria Sakkari at the French Open tennis tournament in Paris on Saturday.
Poland's Maja Chwalińska in action during her third round match against Greece's Maria Sakkari at the French Open tennis tournament in Paris on Saturday.Photo: REUTERS/Guglielmo Mangiapane

The 24-year-old, ranked 114th in the world, came through qualifying before the tournament and is only making her third appearance in a Grand Slam main draw.

She previously reached the second round at Wimbledon in 2022 and lost in the first round at the Australian Open in 2025.

Chwalińska made an uncertain start, dropping the first set and committing 14 unforced errors.

She grew steadily into the match, however, mixing deep groundstrokes, drop shots and lobs to unsettle Sakkari.

The Greek player, ranked 49th and a former world number three, committed 36 unforced errors across the second and third sets – against Chwalińska's 14 – as her frustration visibly increased as the match wore on.

A pivotal moment came in the third set when Sakkari held three break points at 40-0 on the Pole's serve, only for Chwalińska to win five consecutive points and move 3-1 ahead.

Chwalińska has already secured a place inside the world's top 100 for the first time, with a virtual ranking of 75th.

She will face France's Diane Parry, ranked 92nd, in the fourth round on Monday.

(ał)

Source: PAP