Maja Chwalińska secured her first career victory at a WTA 1000 tournament by defeating Spain's Cristina Bucsa 6-2, 6-2 in the second round of the Cincinnati Open in Ohio. The Polish player, who received a first-round bye as a seeded competitor, dictated play from the start against an opponent ranked 38th in the world.
Chwalińska took the initiative throughout the match, leaving Bucsa without answers despite a severe thunderstorm that halted play for approximately two hours. Bucsa entered the tournament with strong credentials, including an Olympic bronze medal in women's doubles from the Paris 2024 Games and a fourth-round appearance at the 2025 US Open, but she was unable to counter the Polish player's rhythm.
The victory ended a winless streak for Chwalińska that stretched from June 4 to August 15. However, that nearly two-and-a-half-month span involved limited match play following her run to the Roland Garros final in Paris. After her French Open semi-final win, Chwalińska played only the final in Paris, a first-round match at Wimbledon, and an opening encounter at the tournament in Toronto, where she lost 5-7, 1-6 to Talia Gibson.
Rising through the ranks
Chwalińska has experienced a dramatic rise in professional tennis over recent months. Between late May and early June, she jumped from 114th to 21st in the WTA rankings after becoming the only player in French Open history to reach the final from the qualifying rounds. The event in Cincinnati is only her second career appearance at a WTA 1000 tournament, following years of competing outside the top 100.
Her sudden emergence prompted former world number two Agnieszka Radwańska to address Chwalińska's future in an exclusive interview with Tennis365. Asked whether Chwalińska could consolidate her place in the world's top 30, Radwańska admitted that while it was a fair question, no one can predict the outcome yet. She noted that Chwalińska is now competing at the highest level of the tour rather than gathering ranking points at smaller events on the margins of professional tennis.
Radwańska emphasized that Chwalińska possesses a strong work ethic and has aspired to play on major stages throughout her career. Analyzing her playing style, Radwańska observed that Chwalińska's tactical approach of mixing up shots and slowing down play is particularly effective on clay courts. On hard courts, Radwańska noted that Chwalińska faces a tougher test and advised her to increase her tempo on faster surfaces.
Polish fan support in Ohio
Chwalińska's historical achievement at Roland Garros made her a popular figure among Polish sports fans. At her previous tournament in Toronto, she drew significant support from the city's estimated 250,000 Polish residents. Although the Polish population in Cincinnati, Ohio is smaller, fans dressed in red and white turned out in large numbers, remaining through the two-hour rain delay and staying late after the match for autographs and photographs.
Chwalińska moves on to the third round in Cincinnati, where she will face 14th seed Diana Shnaider of Russia. The match presents a high-profile rematch of their Roland Garros semi-final, which Chwalińska won. Shnaider will seek to avenge that defeat on hard courts, providing another test of Chwalińska's adjustment to top-level hard-court tennis.
