Roland Garros’s Cinderella has returned, as No. 16 Maja Chwalińska won the 2026 Wuhan Open on Sunday — lifting her first-ever WTA trophy after a three-set battle with No. 170 Sonay Kartal.
Chwalińska navigated a difficult draw in China, taking down both No. 7 Iga Świątek and No. 10 Iva Jovic in straight sets on her way to the title.
“It means a lot. It tastes very sweet, I admit,” Chwalińska said. “I feel like I still don’t realize that I won.”
The news adds to a breakout year for the French Open finalist, who entered May’s Grand Slam as a qualifier before falling to champion No. 3 Mirra Andreeva.
The 25-year-old tapped into that same resilience on Sunday, coming back from down both a set and a break to oust fellow rising star Kartal.
“After the French Open it was obviously amazing, but then I had some tough moments,” said Chwalińska. “I’m just very grateful that my hard work paid off today.”
