"Well, I hope there are still some rooms available out there..." - Maja Chwalinska unsure over accommodation night before Roland Garros semi-final

Maja Chwalinska is enjoying the tennis tournament of a lifetime. The world number 114 is set to face off against Diana Shnaider for a spot in the final of Roland Garros, but there is one problem: where is she going to stay?

The Pole has already taken down a number of star-studded names enroute to what is one of the most unlikely Grand Slam runs at the French Open. She has only dropped one set in the process, almost mirroring Emma Raducanu's US Open triumph back in 2021.

She got the better of Olympic champion and former Grand Slam finalist Qinwen Zheng, Elise Mertens, former world number three Maria Sakkari and home favourite Diane Parry to set up a quarter-final clash against the 22nd seed Anna Kalinskaya. The 24-year-old did brilliantly to keep the Russian at bay in a tie dominated by tricky conditions. She prevailed 7-6(3), 6-3 to reach the semi-finals.

It is a Roland Garros full of upsets. On the women's side alone, just one top 10 player remains in the form of Mirra Andreeva. World number one Aryna Sabalenka lost 10 games in a row against Shnaider in their last-eight tie. Four-time champion Iga Swiatek was dumped out at the fourth round stage with reigning champion Coco Gauff, Elena Rybakina, Jessica Pegula, Amanda Anisimova and Victoria Mboko not even making it that far.

Before the second Grand Slam of 2026 commenced, Chwalinska had earned £643,964 in her tennis career. Currently, she is set to receive £648,428 at least thanks to her run to the semi-finals. It is an eye-watering amount of money earned.

Added to that, she is now 30th in the WTA live rankings after rising 84 places from 114th. She is set to be in all the big tournaments and even seeded thanks to her heroics in the French capital.

The long term seems planned out, but short term wise it is a bit more complicated as she was forced to desperately seek a place to stay for the night, in need of a good night's rest ahead of another mammoth task.

"Well, I hope there are still some rooms available out there... or that I have enough money, you know? Because I know I earned quite a bit here, but that money doesn't come immediately. We'll see what happens, pray for me," Chwalinska said after the match.

She was stunned after winning against Kalinskaya, in disbelief for what she had just achieved. "I'm definitely surprised by everything that's happening. If someone had told me before the tournament that I would reach the round of 16, I probably wouldn't have believed it," she said.

"I had never been in such a situation, and that's why it's hard to say that I expected something like this. All I tried to do was focus on each match because I knew all my opponents were going to be very tough."

Chwalinska took a break from tennis in 2021 amid a struggle with depression as she focused on her mental health. She also had a career-threatening knee injury that needed surgery, seeing her miss months of action while attempting to build herself back up to full fitness. This remarkable rise has all led to this moment, and possible Grand Slam success.