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When Maja Chwalinska won her opening-round match at the 2026 French Open, she secured herself a nice $150,000 paycheck.
But the 24-year-old from Poland, who is currently ranked No. 114 in the world, although that number will soon improve, was still worried about how she would manage to pay for her hotel in Paris.
Because prize money isn’t paid out until after the tournament ends, Chwalinska was operating on a shoestring budget.
“I mentioned in the interview after the match against Maria [Sakkari] that I actually struggled to pay for the hotel, because you know that we get the check after the tournament,” she said in a post-match interview.
Several wins later, and Chwalinksa, whose previous best finish in a Grand Slam came when she reached the second round at Wimbledon in 2022, is in the finals of the French Open against 19-year-old Russian prodigy Mirra Andreeva.
Maja Chwalinska Has Earned Life-Changing Money At The French Open
Prior to the French Open, Chwalinska had made $864,030, which is certainly nothing to scoff at, especially given all the discussion entering the tournament regarding player pay.
However, in just two weeks at Roland Garros, Chwalinska has earned herself $1,624,000, nearly tripling her total career earnings in the process.
Meanwhile, because she hasn’t actually been able to collect any of that money, Polish company Oshee, which also sponsors six-time Grand Slam winner Iga Świątek, stepped in to help cover her hotel costs.
While you may wonder how Chwalinska is so cash-strapped after making $864,000 previously, it’s actually quite simple.
Players must pay their own way for travel, hotels, coaching, and meals. It’s not impossible that a lower-ranked player ends a week having spent more than they earned.
However, Chwalinska is now projected to enter the top 25 in the world regardless of her result in the final. That ranking would give her direct entry into the main draws of the remaining Grand Slams this year, and with it, a significant boost in pay.
“Like a dream,” Chwalinska said when asked to describe the run after her win in the semifinals. “I don’t know what’s going on. I don’t know what to say.”
If she beats Andreeva, that $1.6 million number doubles.
While Maja Chwalinska will always remember the 2026 French Open for the incredible run she’s made, the prize money is also likely to drastically alter the course of her career, and perhaps her life, moving forward.