A 24-year-old Polish tennis player arrived in Paris last week ranked 114th in the world, with no sponsors, no guaranteed income, and no certainty she could even pay for her hotel room.
She had to win three qualifying matches just to enter the French Open main draw. Prize money is only paid at the end of the tournament, so a Polish sports drink brand quietly stepped in and covered her hotel bill.
Her name is Maja Chwalinska. And today, she plays in the French Open final.
Before this tournament, she had won exactly one Grand Slam main draw match in her entire career. She had battled depression so severe that in 2021 she couldn't get out of bed. She underwent knee surgery in 2022. She spent years grinding through small tournaments across Europe just to stay afloat.
Then she arrived in Paris, won three qualifiers, and kept winning. Zheng Qinwen. Elise Mertens. Maria Sakkari. Diana Shnaider. Nine straight matches. One set dropped.
She is now the first qualifier in French Open history to reach the final. The last time a qualifier reached a Grand Slam final, it was Emma Raducanu at the 2021 US Open. Raducanu won.
By simply making the final, Chwalinska has earned more prize money than her entire career combined. The runner-up cheque alone is $1.6 million. If she wins today, she takes home $3.25 million.
One week ago she couldn't pay for her hotel room.
For 24 years, Nicole Sherry helped care for the place we all call home 🧡
On behalf of the Orioles, Birdland, and the city of Baltimore, we say thank you to an icon, trailblazer, and one of the best to ever do it.
@AshleyRParker@JeffreyGoldberg I am so sorry Ashley. I lost my dad in the same way and was with him when he took his last breath. Your beautiful essay resonated with me.
The No Kings protests have dispersed at this time and all traffic closures have been lifted.
We had tens of thousands of people across all five boroughs peacefully exercising their first amendment rights, and the NYPD made zero protest-related arrests.
Rep. Joe Neguse (D-CO) questions Pam Bondi about Justice Dept's decision to hire a pardoned Jan 6 riot defendant... and questions if Trump Admin truly "backs the blue"
I’m sharing this beautiful and powerful song from @springsteen, that he wrote in dedication to the people of Minneapolis and in memory of Alex Pretti and Renee Good. Take a listen.
The art of resistance, the voice of artists, well known and every day people all over the world singing, writing, speaking up and out is so inspiring. We the people are alive, empowered, and making a difference with our voices.
My friends: use your voice in whatever way makes sense to you! Poetry, singing, writing, speaking, loving, cooking, painting. Show up in the way that you can. We are all creative beings with a voice. We the united people, of these United States, are rising above. We are showing that we care about our neighbors, our fellow human beings. Have no doubt the people are rising. It’s a beautful thing.