A tale of two Polish girls--and why the WTA is endlessly interesting

Chwalinska outwits Kartal to win Wuhan Open reut.rs/4dJKpQS

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— Reuters (@reuters.com) October 18, 2026 at 8:50 AM

Once upon a time, there was a Polish girl who played doubles with another Polish girl. In 2015, they won the European 14-and-under title, and in 2016, they won the European 16-and-under title. One of those girls, Maja Chwalinska, was on the championship Polish junior Fed Cup team that same year, and in 2017, she was the runner-up in the Australian Open junior singles title match.

The other girl, Maja's friend, was Iga Swiatek. Serious tennis fans knew that Swiatek was someone to watch, and--sure enough--in 2020, she won Roland-Garros without dropping a set. She would go on to win in Paris three more times, in 2022, 2023 and 2024, and she would win the US. Open in 2022, and Wimbledon in 2025. 

In the meantime, Chwalimska played for the Polish Fed Cup team in 2019, played in a few major qualifying rounds, hurt her wrist, contracted Covid, then--in 2021, at the age of 19--she announced that she had been suffering from severe clinical depression for two years. Chwalinska then took a break from the tour in order to deal with her mental health.

When Maja Chwalinska returned to the tour in 2022, and recorded her first tour-level win at Wimbledon. She also continued to compete--and win titles--at 125-level events. But she had won only a half dozen tour-level matches when she entered the qualifying tournament at Roland-Garros in 2026. Chwalinska got through qualifying, and what happened after that, well--no one saw it coming.

In the first round, she defeated (with a second set bagel) Olympic gold medal winner Zheng Qinwen. In the second round, she upset 23rd seed Elise Mertens (also with a second set bagel), and in the third round, she defeated Maria Sakkari. Chwalinska went on to defeat Diane Parry in the round of 16, and to upset 22nd seed Anna Kalinskaya in the quarterfinals. In the semifinals, she upset 25th seed Diana Shnaider. 

It was a spectacular run, brought to an end in the final by 8th seed Mirra Andreeva, who defeated the young Polish player in straight sets to win her first major. 

Chwalinska sustained an injury in her first round Wimbledon match and lost, and she also lost in the first round of the U.S. Open. She would then go on to reach the semifinals of the Singapore Open, in which she would lose to eventual champion Leylah Fernandez. She lost in the second round of the China Open, a 1000 level event, but then came Wuhan, also a 1000 level tournament. 

Seeded 16th, Chwalinska defeated Mayar Sherif, Marie Bouzkova, the very on-fire 10th seed, Iva Jovic, and--once again--Maria Sakkari (with one bagel delivered). She then had the task of facing none other than her friend and former doubles partner, Iga Swiatek. Swiatek had performed very well in Wuhan, despite the fact that she had sustained a quad injury. That injury proved to be too much for her by the time she reached the semifinals. It was clear that she didn't want to retire against her friend, so she rode it out, and lost in straight sets.

That meant that the last Polish woman standing had to face the tournament's breakout star, Sonay Kartal, who had recently returned to the tour after a six-month back injury layoff. The British player impressed mightily in Wuhan, taking out Anhelina Kalinina, 9th seed Belinda Bencic (bagel included), 15th seed Jasmine Paolini (another bagel included), 5th seed Elina Svitolina, and Jelena Ostapenko, whom she beat in two tiebreak sets. 

That was a lot of heavy lifting. She lost the final in  three sets, but she did become the new British number 1. And--at the same time--Maja Chwalinska won her first WTA tournament--a 1000 event. She is now number 11 in the world.

"I need to rest": Świątek ends 2026 season early after "demanding" year.

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— TVP World (@tvpworld.bsky.social) October 20, 2026 at 11:10 AM

In the meantime, Iga Swiatek's career has taken a downward turn. 2026 marked the first year since her breakout in 2020 that she didn't win a major; the best she did was to reach the quarterfinals of the Australian Open, in which she lost to eventual champion Elena Rybakina. Both fans and media have noted for some time now that Swiatek's comfort level on the court is no what it used to be, and she has made changes to her coaching team.  She did win the 2026 Canadian Open, defeating Rybakina in the final. 

As of this writing, Swiatek has withdrawn from Ningbo because of her thigh inury, and it is highly unlikely that she will qualify to play in the WTA Fianls, an event that she won in 2023. Her season appears to be over. 

I believe that Swiatek will figure it all out. In 2025, there were people who said that she was as good as finished, and she won Wimbledon. She is, after all, Iga Swiatek. She's still in the top 10 (number 9), and she no doubt has an off-season plan for turning her career around. But who would have thought, just a few months ago, that the two Polish friends would have just one spot separating them in the rankings? Only in the WTA could there exist a story like this (not to mention the Kartal side story). This is why The Backspinner calls the tour "Simply Irresistible." This is why we are fans. 

Zheng Qinwen makes history--and a little music

Zheng Qinwen overpowers Mirra Andreeva to win China Open reut.rs/3UmZf9o

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— Reuters (@reuters.com) October 11, 2026 at 9:00 AM

Zheng Qinwen made her WTA Tour debut in 2021, and the next year, she broke into the top 100, reached the round of 16 at Roland-Garros, and was named WTA Newcomer of the Year. In 2023, Zheng entered the top 20 and won her first WTA title, in Palermo. She also reached the quaerterfinals of the U.S. Open, and the final of the WTA Elite Trophy event.

It was clear that the young Chinese player was a star on the rise, but just how clear it was became obvious in 2024 when Zheng reached the final of the Australian Open. She was defeated in that final by defending champion Aryna Sabalenka, but she would go on to on to win gold at the Paris Olympic Games, and to reach the quarterfinals at the U.S. Open again.

In 2025, Zheng achieved a ranking of number 4 in the world. That summer, she announced that she had experienced chronic pain in her right elbow for months, and that she had undergone surgery for the problem. She made a brief comeback that fall, but the elbow bothered her again, so she took some more time off in order to heal. When she returned to the tour in early 2026, her progress was steady, and she again reached the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open. Her U.S. Open run was dramatic: She defeated Madison Keys in the third round after going down 0-5 in the third set. Following that run, Zheng re-entered the top 100.

There was more drama to come. Yesterday, Zheng became the first Chinese player to win the China Open, a WTA1000 event, and Zheng's first 1000-level title. To add to the drama, she defeated Roland-Garros champion Mirra Andreeva in straight sets in the final. As of today, Zheng is ranked number 23 in the world.  

It's especially frustrating to see a young star on the rise (Garbine Muguruza comes to mind) have a significant injury setback. But Zheng did what she had to do to take care of herself, and to practice and train and play her way back to the upper level of the game--and that even included performing some karaoke at the conclusion of the trophy ceremony.

My U.S. Open top 10

US Open 2026: Elena Rybakina claims her third Grand Slam title in New York

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— Le Monde in English (@english.lemonde.fr) September 12, 2026 at 8:26 PM

Here are my top 10 U.S. Open occurrences, in ascending order:

10. The third time was the charm: Sun Xinran, the top seed in the junior draw, felt a kind of pressure that a lot of teens don't feel--this was her third major final of the year, and she had lost the first two, at Roland-Garros and Wimbledon. Her Wimbledon opponent, Anna Pushkareva, was again across the net from her during the U.S. Open final, but this time, Sun prevailed, 6-4, 4-6, 6-0. 

In doubles, Australian Open champions and USA team Annika Penickova and Kristina Penickova defeated Polina Berezina and Alisa Terentyeva 7-6 (11), 6-3 in the final. 

9. So close, yet so far: Two USA players, 2025 Australian Open champion Madison Keys, and Jessica Pegula, both veterans, undoubtedly had hopes about this U.S. Open, especially Pegula, who is number 3 in the world. Keys, however, said--after her third round loss to the resurgent Zheng Qinwen--that she just wasn't feeling it. “I felt like I couldn’t play tennis anymore...," she said. Keys is no stranger to inconsistency; however, her comments could explain the remarkable third set scoreline--Zheng was down 0-5, then won seven games in a row. 

As for Pegula, she made it all the way to the semifinals, defeating the likes of Leylah Fernandez, Sorana Cirstea and Emma Navarro on her way there. But she was stopped by a very in-form Aryna Sabalenka, who defeated her in straight sets.

8. USA takes title from France: The Australian crowd has shown disdain toward WTA players, the Wimbledon administration has a history of being downright offensive to WTA players, and the Roland-Garros crowd has a history of being rude, period. But--with behavior getting worse by the year--the U.S. Open crowd now wins the prize for rude behavior. This year, groups of influencers (oh, how I hate to type that word) disrupted play over and over, with their total lack of regard for the players and the sport. 

At one point, a group of Tik Tock people posed for photos in the middle of a match. And in Naomi Osaka's first round match, influencers using a ring light stopped play. People frequently shouted between serves. The U.S. Open has always been loud--several players have complained about it over the years--but now it's out of control. Aryna Sabalenka complained to the umpire because the smell of marijuana wafted over the court while she was playing. As far as I'm concerned, after one warning, offenders should be escorted out of the stadium, but we know that that isn't going to happen.

7. A sweep and a comeback: Yui Kamiji won her fourth U.S. Open wheelchair singles title at this tournament, and she and partner Zhu Zhenzhen also won the doubles title. Kamiji's opponent in the singles final was her rival, Diede De Groot, who has won the event six times. This was the first time that Kamiji had ever beaten De Groot in New York. And--though she won only one major (Roland-Garros) this year--De Groot (known among fans as Diede the Great) is making a very nice comeback after hip surgery and rehab.

6. A bright-looking future: The third round match played between Iva Jovic and Alex Eala was a thing of beauty. The two young women, who are good friends, have every shot in the book, and their three-hour match couldn't have been more enjoyable. Jovic won, 7-5, 3-6, 7-5, but both players made it clear that the WTA's future has some stars in the making.

5. She's.....back!: It wasn't that long ago that Zheng Qinwen was the Next Big Thing. In fact, she was already a pretty big thing, reaching the final at the 2024 Australian Open and winning an Olympic gold medal. But then she had elbow surgery, followed by post-surgical complications. Zheng has steadily worked her way back, and the result of all her hard work was on display at the U.S. Open. 

Zheng--who had to win three qualifying matches in order to enter the main draw--also provided some unusual thrills at the tournament, especially in the third round, when she was down 0-5 in the third set against Madison Keys. No problem. Zheng reeled off seven consecutive games and won the match. Then, in the next round against Iga Swaitek, she went down 0-5 in the first set; she won that set 7-5 and went on to defeat the 2022 champion.

4. A singular sensation: In the quarterfinals, 2nd seed Elena Rybakina ended Zheng Qinwen's great run, and in doing so, she became the number 1 player in the world, also ending Aryna Sabalenka's 99-week hold on that position. The drama would only increase as time went on.

3. Win everything: Top seeds Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend won the 2026 doubles title when they defeated wild cards Ashlyn Krueger and Robin Montgomery in the final. In doing so, they also achieved a Career Slam, having already won the 2025 Australian Open, 2026 Roland-Garros, and 2024 Wimbledon.

2. When you're hot, you're hot: When Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend achieved the Career Slam by winning the doubles title, that was impressive. What's even more impressive is that, for Siniakova, the result was the achievement of the very rare double Career Slam. The Czech star had already earned a Career Slam with former partner (it still makes me sad to type that) Barbora Krejcikova. They won the Australian Open three times, Roland-Garros twice, Wimbledon twice, and the U.S. Open once. (Siniakova also won Roland-Garros with Coco Gauff.) Siniakova is the first woman in the Open Era to achieve the double Career Slam.

1. You just became world number 1--how do you top that?: If you're Elena Rybakina, you play two more rounds and win the U.S. Open. After her quarterfinal defeat of Zheng Qinwen, the new number 1 went on to defeat 2023 U.S. Open champion Coco Guaff. But she saved the best for last when she faced the woman whose number 1 spot she had just taken over--two-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka. To make the occasion even more dramatic, Rybakina and Sabalenka were the top two seeds in the tournament.

And there was even more drama to this story: Rybakina had been dealing with a foot injury and wasn't even sure that she could compete in Flushing Meadows. She and her doctor, who is in Australia, had talked on the phone every day so that Rybakina could make a determination about playing, and she missed the first week of practice. As it turned out, the new world number 1 played superbly and cleverly in the final, winning the title with a 6-4, 5-7, 6-2 defeat of Sabalenka, who was hoping to win three U.S. Open titles in a row.

On her way to winning the title, Rybakina defeated three former U.S. Open champions--Naomi Osaka, Coco Gauff, and Sabalenka. The new world number 1, for all her reserve and "strictly business" attitude, nevertheless managed to pull off one of the flashiest major victories I've ever seen.

Why snatch one crown when you can snatch two? Elena Rybakina, new world number 1, is now the U.S. Open champion

Elena Rybakina came to the U.S. Open off of a bad foot injury, but it turned into one of the greatest Grand Slam title runs of all-time. She missed the entire first week of practice, but believed she could recover, focus, and play her way into this tournament… Think about how hard that is...

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— The Tennis Letter (@thetennisletter.bsky.social) September 12, 2026 at 6:41 PM

When she won her quarterfinal match in Flushing Meadows, Elena Rybakina took over the number 1 spot that had been held by Aryna Sabalenka for 99 weeks. Then, for good measure, she beat two-time defending champion Sabalenka in today's final. This was, in my opinion, the cheekiest U.S. Open move since 2015, when Flavia Pennetta, about to retire from professional tennis, stopped by Flushing Meadows on her way out, and won the whole thing.

Rybakina's victory didn't surprise me at all, though I'm sure it surprised the panel at U.S. Open Radio, who--with the exception of Genie Bouchard--predicted that Sabalenka would win in three sets. Coming into the Open, Rybakina's only seriously doubtful factor was that she'd been dealing with a foot injury. Right up to the start of the tournament, in fact, she was constantly on the phone with her doctor in Australia, as she and her team assessed whether she'd be able to play in New York.

Sabalenka and Rybakina have a strong rivalry, and they were also the first and second seeds at the tournament, which added to the drama. The only thing that appeared "certain" (as far as tennis goes) is that the match would go to three sets. 

In the first set, Rybakina demonstrated an adaptability we hadn't seen from her before. The tall, quiet woman with the outstanding first serve had trouble, over and over, getting her first serve in. No problem--she began using her second serve as a weapon, and it worked. She won that set, 6-4. Rybakina's ability to get her first serve in improved in the second set, but so did Sabalenka's entire game. She cut down on the unforced errors and was able to use her own big hitting to make Rybakina less comfortable. The defending champion had to work hard, though, because--at 5-4--Rybakina served for the match. 

Not surprisingly, Sabalenka  put a stop to that, and eventually won the second set 7-5.  

Rybakina knew what to do: In the third set, she achieved a first serve win percentage of 100, and she hit fifteen winners, while making only six unforced errors, turning the set into the Rybakina Show. Serving at 2-4, Sabalenka was broken when Rybakina drove her to the far corner of the court, then delivered an expert volley. The new champion double-faulted on her first match point, but then hit an ace on her second one. 

Rybakina is now 8-10 against Sabalenka, but it's of interest that her last three victories against her have occurred in very big matches--the 2025 WTA Finals final, the 2026 Australian Open final, and today's final at the U.S. Open. 

The trophy ceremony delivered a nice touch when the champion received her trophy from Maria Sharapova, on the 20th anniversary of her U.S. Open victory.  Later, the commentators talked about the fact that the only major that Rybakina hasn't won is Roland-Garros, and that attaining that victory would be hard for her because she relies so much on big hitting. (I suppose that--now that they have a bond of sorts--Rybakina could consult with two-time Roland-Garros champion Sharapova about that.)

A well-known rivalry, and a not-so-well-known one

"Looking Toward the Avenue" by Jim Dines
photo by Diane Elayne Dees 

Every once in a while, there's a final that fans just know is going to be special, and a lot of people have that feeling about the upcoming match between two-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina. Sabalenka is a favorite, of sorts--she wants to get three in a row, and she wants to win a major this season. She's also playing extremely well. But so is Rybakina, though she's had some slow starts. For those who love big hitting (it's not my favorite, but I'll take it), this final represents hitting at about as big a level as it gets.

And though you won't hear about it from commentators, another significant final was played today: Yui Kamiji defeated long-time rival Diede De Groot 6-2, 1-6, 6-3 to win the women's wheelchair title. This is the first time that Kamiji has ever beaten De Groot in New York. The third set became tense--De Groot went down 0-3, then 2-4, and then she got the set to 3-all.  In the end, though, Kamiji out-served her opponent and took home her fourth U.S. Open title (De Groot has won the event six times). 

The good news for De Groot is that she's very close to being back to her pre-hip surgery form.

Kamiji, with partner Zhu Zhenzhen, also won the doubles title.

And of course, yesterday top seeds Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend won the doubles championship when they defeated wild cards Ashlyn Krueger and Robin Montgomery in the final. Their victory gives the champions a Career Slam, and it gives Siniakova a double Career Slam. She had already achieved a Career Slam with partner Barbora Krejcikova. 

In juniors, top seed Sun Xinran defeated Anna Pushkareva 6-4, 4-6, 6-0 to win the title. In junior doubles, Annika Penickova and Kristina Penickova defeated Polina Berezina and Alisa Terentyeva to win the title.

One crown passed on, the other still up for grabs

Though it was statistically possible, there probably weren't a lot of us who were thinking, at the start of this U.S. Open, that the final would result in an outgoing world number 1 facing an incoming world number 1, but that's exactly what will happen tomorrow. When she won her quarterfinal match against Zheng Qinwen, Elena Rybakina became the number 1 player in the world, dethroning Aryna Sabalenka. Rybakina went on to win her semifinal match against Coco Gauff, while Sabalenka defeated Gauff's countrywoman, Jessica Pegula. The final will also, of course, feature the number 1 and number 2 seeds of the tournament.

The first set of the Sabalenka-Pegula semifinal match was quite competitive, the second--not so much. Pegula had only one break opportunity in the match, and she wasn't able to convert it. Sabalenka's 7-5, 6-2 victory gives her a chance to do something that only two other women have done--win the U.S. Open more than two consecutive times. Serena Williams won it three consecutive times, and Chris Evert won it four consecutive times. Sabalenka's defeat of Pegula was also her third in a row in Flushing Meadows.

The Gauff-Rybakina semifinal match was more complicated. Swept along by a wildly enthusiastic crowd, Gauff took the first set, but Rybakina raised her level in the second, and Gauff's sometime nemesis--her forehand--began to haunt her. Rybakina won that set, then took the lead in the third set. However, when she served for the match at 5-3, Gauff broke her. Rybakina then broke her right back, defeating her 3-6, 6-4, 6-4. Before this year, Rybakina had never advanced beyond the round of 16 at the U.S. Open.

Sabalenka, incidentally, has reached the final of both hard court majors four years in a row. Of those eight finals, she won four. Overall, Sabalenka leads Rybakina 9-7. It's a close rivalry.

She and Rybakina have met seventeen times, and six of those meetings were in finals; Rybakina won four of them. 

Paths to the final:

ARYNA SABALENKA (1)
round 1--def. Camila Osorio
round 2--Polina Iatcenko
round 3--def. Kamilla Rakhimova
round of 16--def. Taylor Townsend
quarterfinals--def. Linda Noskova (6)
semifinals--def. Jessica Pegula (3) 

ELENA RYBAKINA (2) 
round 1--def. Thea Frodin
round 2--def. Jessica Bouzas Maneiro
round 3--def. Yulia Starodubtseva
round of 16--def. Naomi Osaka (13)
quarterfinals--def. Zheng Qinwen (Q)
semifinals--def. Coco Gauff (4)

Down to four at the U.S. Open

ELENA ANDREYEVNA RYBAKINA IS OUR NEW WORLD NO. 1. 🥹🥹🥹🥹🥹

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— The Tennis Letter (@thetennisletter.bsky.social) September 9, 2026 at 1:03 PM

In Tuesday's first quarterfinal match, two-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka had to go against another big hitter--Wimbledon champion Linda Noskova. The three-set match lived up to expectations: Noskova hit 46 winners, including 18 aces, while Sabalenka hit 42 winners, including 12 aces. The world number 1 emerged the victor 7-6 (1), 3-6, 7-6 (7), and she described the match as "a really tough, tight battle. Of her opponent, Sabalenka said, "What an incredible player she is...."

The defending champion won the match with a second serve ace on her first match point, which was quite a statement in itself.  

In Tuesday's evening quarterfinal, countrywomen Jessica Pegula and Emma Navarro met for the fourth time in their careers. Pegula had won all four of those matches, including one played just recently in Cincinnati. Navarro, for her part, took a couple of months off this spring after dealing with health issues for a long time. 

It was exhausting, just watching this match. Both players are known for their "strictly business" approach to playing matches, and it was indeed strictly business. Pegula's serve was inconsistent and not up to her usual standard, and her opponent took advantage of that fact. Navarro took the first set 6-3, and--not surprisingly--Pegula brought her level up and won the second set. The 3rd seed became a bit wobbly again in the final set, but once again raised her level, and emerged with a 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 victory. 

In today's first quarterfinal, qualifier (a strange description for someone who was an Australian Open runner-up and who is the holder of an Olympic gold medal)  Zheng Qinwen took advantage of a not quite in-form Elena Rybakina and took the first set. But--just like in the Pegula match--Rybakina elevated her game in the second set and won it 6-1. She would go on to win the third set, and--in doing so--she not became a U.S. Open semifinalist, she also became the world number 1. Before this year, Rybakina had never advanced past the round of 16 in Flushing Meadows.

In the final quarterfinal match, 2026 Roland-Garros champion Mirra Andreeva faced off against two-time major champion (one of those titles was earned at the 2023 U.S. Open) Coco Gauff.  Andreeva began the match by breaking Gauff, then rather quickly went up 4-0. She won that set 6-2, making it the first set that Gauff had lost in the tournament. 

The second set was thrilling by any standard, and included some really long rallies. It went to a tiebreak, in which Gauff led, but then Andreeva brought it to 5-all, then failed to convert a match point. She then failed to convert her second match point, and Gauff won the set on her set point. Gauff then dominated the third set, and--at 2-5 in the third--it was Andreeva who saved a match point, but Gauff won on her second attempt.

It was a stunning victory against a very difficult opponent. Both players made 42 unforced errors; Gauff hit 22 winners, Andreeva hit 25. Gauff also double-faulted twelve times, yet she was able to overcome every deficit in her game.

Here is the semifinal draw, which features the tournament's top four seeds:

Aryna Sabalenka (1) v. Jessica Pegula (3)
Coco Gauff (4) v. Elena Rybakina (2) 

In doubles, top seeds Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend advanced to the final by defeating 8th seeds Elise Mertens and Diana Shnaider 6-0, 7-6 (8). (Shnaider's usual partner, Mirra Andreeva, is stepping back a bit from doubles, so they aren't playing together on a regular basis.) Also advancing to the final were the unseeded team of Ashlyn Krueger and Robin Montgomery, who defeated 2nd seeds Gaby Dabrowski and Luisa Stefani 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (8).

In wheelchair competition, the two top seeds, Defending champion Yui Kamiji and Diede de Groot, both advanced to the second round; De Groot had to go three sets against countrywoman Lizzy De Greef.