Emma Raducanu suffers setback at Roland Garros without even playing
Emma Raducanu had a Roland Garros to forget, but things could get even worse for the British No. 1.
The star was beaten in straight sets in the first round by Solana Sierra as her woes continued at the second Grand Slam of the 2026 season.
While the British No. 1 was sent home to prepare early for the grass court season, Maja Chwalinska has become one of the stories of the tournament.
The Polish qualifier has won nine matches in a row to reach the Roland Garros final and she has dropped just one set during her main draw run.
As a result, Chwalinska has emulated two records Raducanu was able to reach during her monumental run to the 2021 US Open title.
Raducanu won her maiden Grand Slam as a qualifier, defeating the likes of Leylah Fernandez, Maria Sakkari, Belinda Bencic, and Shelby Rogers en route to the title.
Chwalinksa has enjoyed a similar run at this year’s Roland Garros, dispatching the likes of Anna Kalinskaya, Diane Parry, and Elise Mertens in Paris to reach the final.
The Polish star defeated Diana Shnaider in straight sets to earn her place in the final of Roland Garros and she has matched two Raducanu records.
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She has become just the third player in the Open Era to reach her maiden WTA level final in a Major, following in the footsteps of Venus Williams and Raducanu. Williams reached her maiden WTA level final at the US Open in 1997.
The Polish star has also become the second qualifier in the Open Era to reach the Singles final in a Major, joining Raducanu by achieving the feat.
Of course, there is one more Raducanu record Chwalinkska can break if she wins the Roland Garros final. She could become just the second qualifier in tennis history to win a Grand Slam, following in Raducanu’s footsteps.
Standing in the way of the Polish star will be Mirra Andreeva, who will arguably be Chwalinksa’s biggest test to date at the French Grand Slam.
Andreeva has been in superb form throughout the tournament, dropping just one set in matches against Fiona Ferro, Marina Bassols Ribera, Marie Bouzková, Jil Teichmann, Sorana Cirstea, and Marta Kostyuk.
However, you could argue that Chwalinkska has been the underdog throughout the tournament and she certainly knows her way around an upset.
The star’s variety has caused plenty of problems for her opponent and her drop shot has been absolutely deadly for the past three weeks in Paris.
Andreeva will head into the final as the favourite, but if this year’s Roland Garros has taught us anything, it’s that anything can happen.
