Ranked 114th in the world before the tournament, the 24-year-old Pole could become the first qualifier to win a top prize at Roland Garros, and only the second to do so in a modern-era Grand Slam. She joins a select group of just four Polish women who have reached a Grand Slam singles final in the sport’s long history – with her childhood friend Iga Świątek the only one to win. Stood between Chwalińska and dreamland is Russian teenager Mirra Andreeva, one of tennis’s brightest rising stars and the tournament’s eighth seed. The pair will face off at around 3 pm at the Court Philippe-Chatrier, where Parisian crowds have backed Chwalińska’s remarkable rise with vocal support. “I feel like I’m in a bubble,” she said after her semifinal win over Diana Shnaider. “I don’t know what’s going on. I’m just very happy to be here!” It’s difficult not to be charmed by Chwalińska’s story – and her affable, humble approach to her rise. A self-confessed “tennis freak,” she has battled bouts of depression to become one Poland’s best players, but a run like this – from the qualifiers to the final – is the stuff of miracles. Better fancied rivals have fallen by the wayside thanks to the outsider’s varied set of on-court skills, which have repeatedly caught her opponents off guard. Venus Williams – one of the greatest players of all time – is a fan. “It’s like a dream watching her have so much joy, be so gracious, being in this moment where she can’t even believe it, as if she is trying to wake her own self up,” the legendary American said. “She’s come such a long way. It really is a Cinderella story.” Biggest challenge yet Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen was the first to fall to Chwalińska in the tournament’s main draw. Building on that surprise opening victory, she powered through the rounds, defeating Belgium’s Elise Mertens, Greece’s Maria Sakkari, French favorite Diane Parry and two Russian powerhouses: Anna Kalinskaya and semifinalist Shnaider. Her final opponent Andreeva poses the biggest challenge yet.