The surprise from the Polish left-hander!

Zheng Qinwen, 23 years old, WTA No. 53, coached by Pere Riba, is the 2024 Olympic champion on this same Parisian clay, the first Asian player to win Olympic gold in singles. Her record at Roland-Garros is impressive: 10–4 in her career, quarterfinalist in 2025. But 2026 is a different story. After elbow surgery in July 2025, she missed the end of the season and is making a gradual comeback. Having dropped out of the top 50 for the first time since August 2022, she arrives without the certainty of being at her best physically. Her explosive forehand and ability to dominate from the baseline remain major weapons on clay when she’s at 100%, but she is far from her peak!

Maja Chwalińska, 24 years old, WTA No. 118, a left-hander coached by Jaroslav Machovsky, is playing her first main draw in a Grand Slam. The Pole from Dąbrowa Górnicza has built her 2026 season on the secondary circuit, with a WTA 125 title in Oeiras in April, notably beating Haddad Maia. This week in qualifying at Roland-Garros, she has been ruthless: 6–0 6–3 then 6–0 6–1, two matches dominated without any wobble. She comes in with match rhythm, confidence, and the left-handed profile that naturally makes reading the game on clay more difficult.