Preview: French Open: Diana Shnaider vs. Maja Chwalinska - prediction, head-to-head, tournament so far

Fresh off a stunning comeback win over Roland Garros favourite Aryna Sabalenka, Diana Shnaider returns to Court Philippe-Chatrier on Thursday for her semi-final against history-making qualifier Maja Chwalinska.

While both women have never made it this far at a Major, Chwalinska's run in her debut appearance in Paris has been admirable, and she aims to continue her 100% record by defeating her giant-killing Russian opponent.

Match preview

While the windy conditions on Wednesday meant that Sabalenka was unlikely to have it all her way, the Belarusian did seem on course for a win after taking the opening set and leading the second 4-1.

However, in a stunning turnaround, Shnaider roared back to claim the second set 7-5 before handing the top seed a third-set bagel, en route to a 3-6, 7-5, 6-0 victory over the world No. 1, ending an 11-match losing run against top-10 opponents.

In a tournament that has seen the defending champion Coco Gauff exit in the third round and Iga Swiatek, a four-time winner, fall in the fourth, Sabalenka's loss in Wednesday’s circumstances was unforeseen.

Nevertheless, the Belarusian’s loss was to Shnaider’s benefit, and the Russian enters Thursday as the higher-ranked player and favourite to secure a spot in Saturday's final.

Wednesday's win means that the 22-year-old left-hander has now outdone her best performance in a big tournament on clay — a quarter-final run in Rome last year — but she seeks one more victory to play for the biggest title of her career.

Beating a cool customer in Chwalinska will be far from easy, with the Polish qualifier’s dream debut in Paris continuing in the quarter-final, as she secured a 7-6(3), 6-3 success over Anna Kalinskaya.

Only Maria Sakkari has taken a set off the 24-year-old left-hander, with the world No. 114 also guaranteed to enter the top 30 when the rankings are updated next week.

The sixth qualifier in the Open Era and the second at the French Open after Nadia Podoroska to make it this far, Chwalinska will back herself to make even more history.

Swiatek may have been backed to make the deepest run among the Polish players in the draw; however, the left-hander has surpassed expectations and then some to match the four-time Roland Garros champion as the second player from Poland to make the last four in Paris.

Now, she seeks a sixth straight victory in the main draw — nine if results in qualifying are included — to make Saturday’s championship match to compete for the biggest title of her career.

Tournament so far

Diana Shnaider:

First round: vs. Renata Zarazua 6-4 6-1

Second round: vs. McCartney Kessler 7-6(3) 6-1

Third round: vs. Oleksandra Oliynykova 7-5 6-1

Fourth round: vs. Madison Keys 6-3 3-6 6-0

Quarter-final: vs. Aryna Sabalenka 3-6 7-5 6-0

Maja Chwalinska:

First round: vs. Qinwen Zheng 6-4 6-0

Second round: vs. Elise Mertens 6-4 6-0

Third round: vs. Maria Sakkari 1-6 6-3 6-2

Fourth round: vs. Diane Parry 6-3 6-2

Quarter-final: vs. Anna Kalinskaya 7-6[3] 6-3

Head To Head

Edge Istanbul (2022) - Semi-final: Shnaider 6-4 6-4

While both players are meeting on the main tour for the first time, Shnaider claimed a straight-sets win over Chwalinska in an ITF tournament in Istanbul four years ago.

The victory also took place on clay, en route to Shnaider claiming the title, and the Russian aims for a repeat to take down another left-hander to advance to the final.

Having already defeated a top 30 player in Kalinskaya, the Pole aims for a repeat by taking down Thursday's opponent.

We say: Shnaider to win in three sets

Including qualifying results, Chwalinska has still only dropped one set across eight victories, meaning that the Pole cannot be underestimated.

Having been the underdog before beating Madison Keys and Sabalenka, Shnaider enters Thursday as the favourite to make Saturday's final.

While it will be interesting to see how the 22-year-old fares, we still back her to edge the semi-final and advance to the title match, where Mirra Andreeva or Marta Kostyuk awaits.