Sipping tea fuels Polish qualifier Chwalinska's run to French Open final against teenager Andreeva

PARIS (AP) — Sipping tea every night is working wonders for Maja Chwalinska.

The Polish player became just the second qualifier to reach a Grand Slam singles final in the Open Era when she beat Diana Shnaider of Russia 7-6 (4), 6-4 on Thursday.

The 24-year-old Chwalinska can match Emma Raducanu’s title run at the 2021 U.S. Open when she plays Russian teenager Mirra Andreeva in Saturday's final at Roland Garros.

Nothing will change Chwalinska's routine for the biggest match of her life.

“I’m going to drink my tea,” she said.

Chwalinska and Raducanu, according to stats provider Opta, stand alone among men and women in having reached a major singles final from the qualifying rounds since the Open Era began in 1968.

“I feel like I am in a bubble, I don’t know what’s going on,” Chwalinska said. “After the tournament it will be time to process it: breathe in, breathe out.”

Besides the tea, she might watch some tennis "because I’m a tennis freak.”

She said her favorite player growing up was Swiss great Roger Federer, then Spanish clay-court ace Rafael Nadal. Now it's 24-time major winner Novak Djokovic.

“I'm just very grateful that I was growing up during this era,” she said. "Sometimes I come back to these old matches and I watch them play, and it feels like poetry.”

Chwalinska sealed victory on her first match point with a powerful forehand winner down the line, then fell back with both hands on her face. She then sat on her chair and panted heavily, her face buried into a towel.

“I honestly don’t know what was going on in my head,” she said. “I was just in such a shock.”

Chwalinska's run saw her advance through three qualifying rounds to enter the main draw and play in just her third Grand Slam. Her best result at a major before this was the second round at Wimbledon in 2022. Polish countrywoman Iga Swiatek has won the French Open four times.

The 19-year-old Andreeva reached her first Grand Slam final by beating Marta Kostyuk 6-1, 6-3 earlier Thursday on Court Philippe-Chatrier.

Andreeva had reached the semifinals here two years ago, but this is Chwalinska’s first semifinal anywhere at WTA tour-level.

Chwalinksa has dropped only one set in her nine matches, including qualifying, and has bulldozed her way past four top-50 players in the main draw.

Her ranking will rocket from No. 114 to No. 14 if she wins the tournament, according to the WTA.

Her bank balance will also get a significant boost. Chwalinksa's total prize money heading into Roland Garros was $864,030 and by reaching the final she gets 1.4 million euros about ($1.6 million); and 2.8 million euros ($3.25 million) if she wins on Saturday.

A neat drop shot and lob gave her set point in the tiebreaker, and she clinched the first set when Shnaider’s backhand went wide.

Shnaider had a medical timeout after the seventh game of the second set. She flexed her left leg as she lay on her back, and dropped her serve in the ninth game, giving Chwalinksa a chance to serve for the match.

“All the kudos to Maja. She played amazing," Shnaider said. “She moves incredible on the court, she covers a lot. Even if you think that you won the point, she’s there.”

Andreeva could see even the smallest details on the ball.

“I was seeing the little hairs on the ball when I was tossing or playing (shots),” Andreeva said. “I was really, really focused today.”

Andreeva, who is seeded No. 8, also converted her first match point when serving for the victory.

She clearly feels comfortable at the French Open, which she describes as a “cozy” tournament because she sees familiar faces every year, and enjoys her time in Paris.

“I really like to walk around the city, to go into those little restaurants on the street,” she said. “I also speak a little bit of French, so I try to sometimes talk to people in French.”

There was no post-match handshake between Andreeva and Kostyuk — and the Ukrainian walked off quickly, turning only to wave and blow kisses to the crowd.

They had separate photos taken before the match as they each stood next to two children on their respective side of the net. Usually the players pose for the same photo, standing right next to each other by the net.

Kostyuk and countrywoman Oleksandra Oliynykova have spoken out during the tournament about the impact Russia's invasion of Ukraine is having on their country.

The No. 15-seeded Kostyuk said defeat won't linger given how much support she felt from fans.

“This is something I will carry with me forever,” she said. “I feel like this is the highlight of my tournament."

The semifinal began at shortly after 3 p.m. with an open roof, like on Wednesday when beaten quarterfinalists Aryna Sabalenka and Anna Kalinskaya complained of swirling wind on Chatrier and said the roof should have been closed.

It was closed toward the end of the second set of Thursday's semifinal, offering Kostyuk better conditions for her clay-court game. But her 16-match winning streak on clay ended.

AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis

Poland's Maja Chwalinska reacts after winning the semifinal tennis match against Russia's Diana Shnaider at the French Open in Paris, Thursday, June 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Emma Da Silva)

Poland's Maja Chwalinska reacts after winning the semifinal tennis match against Russia's Diana Shnaider at the French Open in Paris, Thursday, June 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Emma Da Silva)

Poland's Maja Chwalinska react after winning during the semifinal tennis match against Russia's Diana Shnaider at the French Open in Paris, Thursday, June 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

Russia's Mirra Andreeva poses with children while Ukraine's Marta Kostyuk refused to join before the semifinal tennis match at the French Open in Paris, Thursday, June 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

Ukraine's Marta Kostyuk walks off the court after the semifinal tennis match against Russia's Mirra Andreeva at the French Open in Paris, Thursday, June 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

Russia's Mirra Andreeva reacts after winning during the semifinal tennis match against Ukraine's Marta Kostyuk at the French Open in Paris, Thursday, June 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

Fans supprtUkraine's Marta Kostyuk during the semifinal tennis match against Russia's Mirra Andreeva at the French Open in Paris, Thursday, June 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Emma Da Silva)

Russia's Mirra Andreeva reacts after winning the semifinal tennis match against Ukraine's Marta Kostyuk at the French Open in Paris, Thursday, June 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Emma Da Silva)

Russia's Mirra Andreeva returns to Ukraine's Marta Kostyuk during the senifinal tennis match at the French Open in Paris, Thursday, June 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Emma Da Silva)

Ukraine's Marta Kostyuk serves to Russia's Mirra Andreeva during the semifinal tennis match at the French Open in Paris, Thursday, June 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Emma Da Silva)

Russia's Mirra Andreeva poses with children while Ukraine's Marta Kostyuk refused during teh senifinal tennis tennis match at the French Open in Paris, Thursday, June 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

NEW YORK (AP) — Jalen Brunson was wowed upon hearing how high the price had climbed on the secondary market for the cheapest ticket in New York for Game 3 of the NBA Finals between the Knicks and Spurs.

What left the Knicks star nearly stumped was determining what he would deem worthy of spending $7,500 to go see.

“That’s a good question,” Brunson said Thursday. He paused for a few seconds before delivering his answer: “A live Michael Jackson performance.”

Thriller, indeed.

From Bay Ridge to the Bronx and beyond, the Big Apple has gone nuts for the Knicks.

The team is not only in the NBA Finals for the first time in 27 years, New York is riding a 12-0 roll after rallying from a 14-point second-half deficit in a 105-95 win at San Antonio in Game 1 on Wednesday night. Game 2 is Friday night in San Antonio before the series shifts to New York on Monday.

It seems as if the entire city is on board. There were the thousands who filled Madison Square Garden to watch the game on the big screen, only to be matched by the thousands more celebrating outside in the shadow of the Empire State Building lit up in the Knicks' blue and orange.

The MTA — the city's transit authority — got into the spirit by painting several subway stops around the arena in Knicks colors. And Mayor Zohran Mamdani even signed an executive order temporarily lifting children's bedtime hours.

“Knicks in Four!” chants erupted shortly after midnight, as fans climbed light posts and even on an ambulance outside of MSG.

Similar scenes were captured at a free watch party in Central Park, and across the five boroughs.

At a bar in Brooklyn, fans spilled out onto the outside sidewalk to watch the game on the TV inside. At a pizzeria a few doors down, fans gathered around a flat screen TV someone erected in the trunk of a car.

All of this for a chance to be a part of what could be history 53 years in the making, since Willis Reed and company last brought an NBA title to what was and evidently remains a basketball-mad metropolis. The buzz in the city has overwhelmed much talk of the World Cup, which opens in a week.

“Honestly, I just feel grateful to be here and experience the New York Knicks, doing what we haven’t done in a long time,” Owen Odigie said, celebrating the Game 1 win inside Madison Square Garden. “It’s special. It’s beautiful.”

Knicks forward Karl-Anthony Towns could feel the Big Apple energy some 1,800 miles away in San Antonio following Game 1.

“You feel the energy in the city, the grit, the grind, the hard work you’ve got to put in to make it in the city,” said Towns, who hails from New Jersey. “I think we reflect all our fans ... when we step on that court with a Knicks jersey.”

Knicks fans even made their presence felt in San Antonio, beyond the familiar celebrities of Spike Lee, Tracy Morgan, Timothée Chalamet, Ben Stiller and more. The crowd in San Antonio was made up of an estimated 20% Knicks fans, some of whom made their voices heard in yelling, “Let’s go, Knicks,” during the national anthem.

In reality, given the soaring prices at home, it was reasonably cheaper for Knicks fans to make the trip to San Antonio, even when taking into account flight and lodging costs. Tickets for Game 1 started at around $750 on the secondary market.

Spurs guard Julian Champagnie — a native New Yorker — wasn’t surprised to see the Knicks contingent.

“I kind of expected that,” Champagnie said. “I’m from New York. I know how New York fans travel and stuff like that, so I kind of expected that.”

Towns said he couldn't be more appreciative of the love being shown by Knicks fans. But he said he also prays for the New York police officers tasked with keeping people safe amid the frenzy.

“All those men and women out there that are not only protecting everybody ... they are huge fans of the Knicks and support the Knicks fans in their ability to show how much they love the Knicks and being as lenient as possible without causing chaos,” Towns said. "So, shout-out to the men and women of the NYPD.”

Wawrow reported from Buffalo, New York, and Reynolds from San Antonio.

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba

Filmmaker Spike Lee arrives prior to Game 1 of the NBA Finals basketball series between the New York Knicks and the San Antonio Spurs, Wednesday, June 3, 2026, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) yells during the second half of Game 1 of the NBA Finals basketball series against the San Antonio Spurs, Wednesday, June 3, 2026, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

Spike Lee looks on before before Game 4 in the Eastern Conference finals NBA basketball playoffs series between the New York Knicks and the Cleveland Cavaliers in Cleveland, Monday, May 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Joseph Reedy)

A New York Knicks fan arrives prior to Game 1 of the NBA Finals basketball series against the San Antonio Spurs, Wednesday, June 3, 2026, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

New York Knicks fans pose at a subway entrance in New York decorated in team colors as the Knicks play the San Antonio Spurs in Game 1 of the NBA Finals basketball series on Wednesday, June 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey)