After her breakthrough run to the Roland Garros final as a qualifier, Poland’s Maja Chwalinska suffered a devastating blow at the very start of her next Grand Slam campaign, slipping behind the baseline on match point before ultimately falling to Mananchaya Sawangkaew in the first round of Wimbledon.
Maja Chwalinska buries her face in the towel during her 1st round match at Wimbledon.
From leading 6-2, 5-2 and injuring herself on match point to being down 2-4 in the 3rd set.
Tough scenes. 💔💔💔💔💔 pic.twitter.com/A1w28tNpuw
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) June 29, 2026
Fresh off her Roland Garros runner-up finish and competing at a career-high No. 21 after being ranked No. 114 at her previous tournament, Chwalinska was one point from victory at 6-2 5-2 in her first grass-court match of the season before getting injured. The fall led to a medical timeout on her right leg, and although she initially continued, her movement quickly deteriorated as Thai qualifier Sawangkaew fought back to level the second set and dominate the decider, where Chwalinska struggled physically despite an early break lead.
Ultimately, Sawangkaew completed a 2-6 7-5 6-2 victory in 2 hours and 41 minutes to become the first Thai player to win a Wimbledon match since Luksika Kumkhum reached the second round in 2018. Should Lanlana Tararudee win her opener against Lilli Tagger later on Monday, it will mark the first time that two women representing Thailand have reached the second round of any Grand Slam. (source: WTA)
