“Even when you think you’ve won the point, she’s still there”: Diana Shnaider reacts after Chwalinska upset

Diana Shnaider acknowledged both the quality of her opponent and the scale of the occasion after her Roland Garros semi-final defeat to qualifier Maja Chwalinska. The world No. 114 produced a major breakthrough in Paris, defeating Shnaider 7-6(7-4), 6-4 to reach her first Grand Slam final and extend her remarkable run through the draw.

Chwalinska’s victory carries significant historical context. She becomes the first qualifier in the Open Era to reach a Roland Garros singles final and only the second qualifier in the last decade to reach a Grand Slam final, following Emma Raducanu’s US Open title run in 2021.

For Shnaider, the defeat ends a strong two-week campaign in Paris where she had been competing at a consistently high level. Despite falling short, she emphasised pride in her performance and the competitive standard of the match.

The Russian also provided a detailed technical assessment of Chwalinska’s game, highlighting her movement, defensive resilience and ability to transition from defence to attack on clay.

Shnaider underlined that the key difficulty in facing Chwalinska lies in the Polish player’s ability to extend points even in seemingly neutral situations. She repeatedly pointed to her movement and anticipation as defining features that shaped the semi-final.

“First of all, she moves incredibly well on the court," the 22-year-old player said in press conference. "She covers a lot of ground and reads the game perfectly. Even when you think you’ve won the point, she’s still there.”

The world No. 114’s ability to extend rallies forced Shnaider into repeated reconstruction of points from neutral positions. According to Shnaider, Chwalinska does not simply return balls but places them into uncomfortable areas, disrupting attacking patterns and forcing errors from players attempting to dictate.

Shnaider also highlighted the Polish player’s variety and tactical flexibility on clay, particularly her ability to shift pace and spin to control rhythm.

“And above all, she doesn’t just put the ball back: she sends it into difficult areas, forcing you to rebuild the rally from the start. She also has great variety in her game and puts a lot of spin on her shots.”

The Russian added that Chwalinska’s skill set is particularly effective on clay, where extended rallies and tactical variation often decide matches. She noted the effectiveness of the left-handed forehand and slice patterns, which repeatedly disrupted her timing during the semi-final.

“Her left-handed forehand is particularly heavy, while her sliced backhand is very effective. She uses low balls, drop shots very well, comes to the net, and covers the court remarkably. Her style is perfectly suited to clay.”

Despite the defeat, Shnaider insisted she leaves Paris with a positive perspective on her performance level across the fortnight. She stressed that the match was played at a high intensity from both players, with small margins deciding key moments.

“These two weeks have been exceptional. I am very proud of myself and what I have accomplished here. Overall, it was a very difficult match. All the credit goes to Maja, she played incredible tennis.”

Shnaider added that she felt she competed strongly throughout, but accepted that her opponent was decisive in key phases and fully deserved her place in the final.

“I tried to give my best and to try different things. I left everything on the court. I am proud of how I played and how I fought. She was exceptional today and fully deserves her victory and her place in the finals.”

Chwalinska will now face Mirra Andreeva in the Roland Garros final on Saturday, after the Russian defeated Marta Kostyuk 6-1, 6-3 in the other semi-final.