Four years after Coco Vandeweghe shouted across a Wimbledon qualifying court that Maja Chwalinska was a “pathetic person,” the Polish player is back in the spotlight for very different reasons. Chwalinska is now in the French Open final, with a chance to turn one of the ugliest moments of her rise into a footnote to a title run.
The memory has lingered because of how it unfolded. Chwalinska and Vandeweghe met in the final qualifying round for Wimbledon when the 24-year-old was trying to reach the main draw of a Grand Slam for the first time. With the score tied at 4-4 in the third and final set, Vandeweghe was struck directly on the body by a ball during a rally, then barked, “That was so messed up! You pathetic person.” When Chwalinska made an error on the next point, Vandeweghe followed with, “That’s right, karma.”
Chwalinska did not let the exchange decide the match. She recovered from a set down to book her place in the first round of Wimbledon and later summed up the moment with a line that still fits neatly now: “It’s amazing how things turn out.” Vandeweghe, retired since 2023, was left with a clip that has outlasted the match itself.
That Wimbledon confrontation matters again today because Chwalinska’s run in Paris has become one of the stories of the tournament. She was outside the world’s top 100 before Roland Garros, but is now on the verge of the top 20 and guaranteed at least £1.2million for reaching the final. Before the semi-finals, she was also thinking about something far less glamorous, saying she hoped there were still rooms available in Paris and wondering whether she would have enough money to cover it before prize payments came through.
Now the only question that matters is whether the player who once had to worry about finding a hotel room can finish the job against Mirra Andreeva. If she does, Chwalinska will become only the second qualifier ever to win a Grand Slam title, and the Wimbledon insult that once followed her around will look like the moment the story really began.
