Power meets guile as Andreeva faces fairytale qualifier Chwalinska

PARIS, June 5 : If the French Open women's final appears on paper to be a mismatch between a teenage prodigy and an unheralded qualifier, Poland's Maja Chwalinska has spent the past fortnight proving appearances can be deceiving.

Russian eighth seed Mirra Andreeva arrives at Saturday's showpiece as the overwhelming favourite after bulldozing her way through the draw, dropping only 12 games in her last three matches and looking every inch a future Grand Slam champion.

Yet across the net will stand a player whose improbable run has become one of the stories of the tournament.

Chwalinska travelled to Paris ranked 114th in the world and had to win three qualifying matches to reach the main draw. Nine victories later, the 24-year-old finds herself one win away from one of the most unlikely Grand Slam titles of the Open Era.

Andreeva, who reached the Roland Garros semi-finals as a 17-year-old two years ago, believes her growing maturity has helped transform her from a precocious talent into a genuine title contender.

"I'm getting closer, I'm getting older, a little bit more mature every match I play, a little bit more experienced," Andreeva told reporters.

"So I think that now I'm able to approach every match differently and try to really focus on the opponent that I'm going to play against and the game plan that I'm going to have to use on the court."

The Russian's relentless baseline power and ability to dictate rallies have overwhelmed opponents throughout the tournament and she has looked increasingly comfortable with the expectations that accompany her rapid rise.

But Chwalinska offers a completely different challenge.

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