Updated 01.42 | Published 00.56
Polish figure skater Maja Chwalińska, 24, is a big success in the French Open.
It shows in her clothes.
The players who reach grand slam finals are usually so good that they don’t need to play qualifiers to be in the tournaments, but Maja Chwalińska is not like others.
Chwalińska is the second player ever to reach the French Open final after having to qualify. On Saturday, she meets the 19-year-old Russian Mirra Andrejeva in the final.
Over the course of the tournament, Chwalińska has climbed the world rankings. She was in 114th place before the French Open and can be 100 (!) places higher if she wins the final.
Had no sponsors
Even in terms of Chwalińska’s clothes, there has been a change.
In connection with a tournament in April, a journalist asked why Chwalińska wore different clothes in each match, reports HLN.
Chwalińska had a smile as she answered:
– I don’t have a sponsor right now, so I can wear what I want. It’s actually quite nice, because you’re not limited. If a shirt fits well, I just wear it.
Couldn’t afford a hotel
When Chwalińska started the French Open qualifying tournament on May 18, she did so in a dark gray shirt with no sponsor logos. But they have been added over time.
The investment company Eightstone and the brokerage and trading company XTB were quickly there when Chwalińska started to scream. And the Polish sports drink company Oshee started sponsoring her after a high-profile interview.
– After my match against Maria Sakkari (in the round of 16), I told in an interview that I had a hard time paying for the hotel, because we don’t get the prize money until after the tournament, Chwalińska said.
The new sponsor immediately helped her pay the hotel bills in Paris.
Even after the French Open, Chwalińska gets money. She is guaranteed at least 1,400,000 euros – just over SEK 15 million.
