What Maja Chwalinska has now definitively proven after winning the Wuhan Open

Maja Chwalinska is a WTA 1000 champion.

The Polish superstar clinched her first title at the WTA 1000 level following a stunning comeback victory against Great Britain’s Sonay Kartal in the Wuhan Open final.

Chwalinska’s triumph has come just over four months after her appearance in the Roland Garros final – the first qualifier to reach that stage of the Grand Slam event.

She was subsequently beaten in the final by Russian star Mirra Andreeva.

Chwalinska became only the third woman to reach the Roland Garros final on her main-draw debut when she advanced to the championship match earlier this year.

The Polish star was ranked 113th in the world heading into the Parisian event and a clear outsider for the title. However, Chwalinska defied the odds, defeating Anna Kalinskaya and Diana Shnaider en route to the final.

In the aftermath of Chwalinska’s Roland Garros campaign, some sought to suggest that the Pole’s run to the final had been something of a ‘fluke’; after all, she did not play a top-20 ranked player until the final.

These assessments were as ludicrous then as they are now: Chwalinska’s quality as a tennis player and as a competitor was clear for all to see in June.

Chwalinska has now quashed any suggestion of her Roland Garros campaign being a fluke by winning the Wuhan Open.

The Polish player defeated a number of high-quality opponents in China, including Maria Sakkari, Iga Swiatek and Iva Jovic, confirming her status as a future Grand Slam contender and a threat to any player on the WTA Tour.

Shortly after triumphing in Wuhan, Chwalinska announced her withdrawal from the Ningbo Open. The Polish player cited a left thigh injury as the reason for her impending absence.

Sonay Kartal, Chwalinska’s opponent in the Wuhan Open final, has withdrawn from the Japan Open [Osaka].