Former world No. 4 Zheng Qinwen lost the final eight games of her match against Polish qualifier Maja Chwalinska, falling 6-4 6-0 to suffer the first Roland Garros opening-round exit of her career. The early defeat is set to send the Chinese star, currently ranked No. 56, out of the Top 100.
Before Monday’s upset, the 23-year-old Zheng held a perfect 4-0 record at Roland Garros, highlighted by a fourth-round breakthrough on her 2022 debut and a quarterfinal run last season. In fact, outside of Wimbledon, where she suffered three first-round exits, she had never previously lost in the opening round of a Grand Slam.
World No. 114 Chwalinska arrived at Roland Garros riding strong momentum after capturing the WTA 125 title in Oeiras last month, and the qualifier carried that form into Paris by defeating Zheng for just the second Grand Slam main-draw victory of her career.
Wearing a light pink Nike tank-and-skirt combination that evoked a ballet-inspired look, Zheng found herself quickly on the back foot, falling 4-1 behind in the opening set. She briefly recovered to draw level at 4-4, but momentum shifted again as Chwalinska closed out the match by taking every remaining game.
Zheng has been working her way back after elbow surgery last July, briefly attempting a return two months later before not competing again until February 2026. This season, she has posted a 7-6 win-loss record as she continues to regain rhythm on tour.
Before Roland Garros, the 2024 Australian Open finalist expressed clear excitement about returning to the tournament, describing it as a “dream place” for her:
“I feel coming back here is like coming back to my dream place. Because I had the best experience so far in 2024, and really good experience as well last year. Like I said, I’m trying to keep my concentration as long as I can in practice, and I’m also curious to see what I’m going to do this year after coming back from injury. Because I really love to play here in Roland Garros, and as I always say, I want to stay as long as I can.”
