PARIS (AP) — For Maja Chwalińska, the fairy tale run that began three weeks ago in Paris ended in a nightmare.
Her French Open final against Mirra Andreeva promised a fascinating clash of styles on the red clay on Saturday. Instead, it turned into a rout, set in motion by a double fault.
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Russia's Mirra Andreeva returns during the final tennis match against Poland's Maja Chwalinska at the French Open in Paris, Saturday, June 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Emma Da Silva)
Russia's Mirra Andreeva returns to Poland's Maja Chwalinska during their final women's tennis match at the French Open in Paris, Saturday, June 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)
Poland's Maja Chwalinska returns to Russia's Mirra Andreeva during their final women's tennis match at the French Open in Paris, Saturday, June 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)
Poland's Maja Chwalinska returns to Russia's Mirra Andreeva during their final women's tennis match at the French Open in Paris, Saturday, June 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)
Poland's Maja Chwalinska reacts during the final tennis match against Russia's Mirra Andreeva at the French Open in Paris, Saturday, June 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Emma Da Silva)
That opening was a bad omen for the Polish qualifier. It was followed by a collapse in which she won only five games before Andreeva sealed her first Grand Slam title by 6-3, 6-2 on Court Philippe-Chatrier.
Chwalińska sat dejectedly in her chair for a long time before finding her sense of humor again during the trophy presentation.
“She is so young and talented, it's so annoying,” she said about Andreeva, summing up a one-sided final.
The 24-year-old Chwalińska became the first qualifier in the tournament's history to reach the final after arriving in Paris as the world No. 114. But the last hurdle proved too high.
Her eclectic brand of tennis captivated crowds; clever drop shots, slices, moon balls and endless variations of tempo. But her style was blunted and her supporters silenced by Andreeva. She was also largely undone by her own errors as she struggled to find her range in windy conditions.
“I felt like I have no weapon against her today. She definitely handled the wind much better than me, and she played so smart," she said.
Chwalińska double-faulted the first point of the match and immediately dropped her serve. Andreeva, who was also playing in her first major final, was nervous, too, and allowed the qualifier to stay within touch early on.
Chwalińska was the first one to hold her serve for 3-2. But once Andreeva got into the groove, her sheer power was unstoppable. She won nine consecutive games for 6-3, 5-0 and prevented Chwalińska from matching Emma Raducanu’s title run at the 2021 U.S. Open.
“I’ve tried my best, I’m sorry,” Chwalińska told the crowd.
Andreeva said she was nervous at the start because she had never played against Chwalińska. She said coping with the tricky weather conditions was key.
“I couldn’t understand at some point which way the wind was going,” she said. “I’m just happy that I’ve dealt with these conditions and adjusted to the conditions maybe a little bit faster than she did.”
The disappointment did not erase everything Chwalińska accomplished in Paris. She came through three qualifying rounds to reach the main draw and went all the way to the final in only her third Grand Slam tournament. Her best previous result at a major was the second round at 2022 Wimbledon. She took a break from tennis a few years ago while dealing with depression.
“I’ll never forget these three weeks, for sure,” she said. The experience will do wonders for her confidence against the big names she will meet more of. “Because I’ve never really played against the high-ranked players before. It was the very first time that I faced them.”
Her ranking will soar and her bank balance has received a significant boost as well. Chwalińksa is set to rise to a ranking of 21. Her career prize money heading into Roland Garros was $864,030. She's tripled that by reaching the final and earning 1.4 million euros ($1.6 million).
Chwalińksa will now turn her focus to grass courts. If she does not receive a wild card, she would need to go through qualifying at Wimbledon.
“Last year it was a struggle for me on grass, but before I loved playing on grass. I feel like I can use a lot of touch and slices,” she said. “I move pretty well on the court and I anticipate pretty well. I’m ready for the challenge.”
And before Wimbledon, there are also some simple pleasures ahead after the high amount of stress of her Parisian campaign.
“I couldn’t eat for the last three weeks," she said. "Like, my coaches were eating pizza, and I was, like, ‘No.’ So, yeah, I’m just actually excited to kind of finish the tournament, and maybe the joy of eating will come back."
AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis
Russia's Mirra Andreeva returns during the final tennis match against Poland's Maja Chwalinska at the French Open in Paris, Saturday, June 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Emma Da Silva)
Russia's Mirra Andreeva returns to Poland's Maja Chwalinska during their final women's tennis match at the French Open in Paris, Saturday, June 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)
Poland's Maja Chwalinska returns to Russia's Mirra Andreeva during their final women's tennis match at the French Open in Paris, Saturday, June 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)
Poland's Maja Chwalinska returns to Russia's Mirra Andreeva during their final women's tennis match at the French Open in Paris, Saturday, June 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)
Poland's Maja Chwalinska reacts during the final tennis match against Russia's Mirra Andreeva at the French Open in Paris, Saturday, June 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Emma Da Silva)
HEBRON, West Bank (AP) — Israeli troops shot at a car in the occupied West Bank, killing a 7-month-old Palestinian baby and wounding his parents, the Palestinian health ministry said, with the bullet striking the boy in the face.
The Israeli military said that soldiers shot at a vehicle perceived to be accelerating toward them near Hebron. It said an initial inquiry found that the three Palestinians wounded were uninvolved civilians.
Israeli military activity, and settler violence against Palestinians, have surged in the territory since the war in Gaza began in October 2023.
The baby's father, Bethlehem University lecturer Fahd Abu Haikal, told The Associated Press that a bullet struck the windshield before piercing his right hand and striking his son and wife in the back seat Friday evening. Another bullet struck the hood, according to AP journalists who saw the car.
The bullet passed through Sam Fahd Abu Haikal’s face.
“He was the entire world,” Haikal said of the boy, who turned seven months on Friday.
The mother was in critical condition, with shrapnel close to her heart.
The baby's body was wrapped in a Palestinian flag. His father carried him. The men placed the small bundle at their feet and bowed in prayer.
The father demanded justice. “At the end they tell you it was a mistake,” he said. “Nothing is called a mistake.”
The baby’s grandmother, Feryal Abu Heikal, was also in the car. She said that they were driving near a checkpoint and stopped when they saw Israeli military vehicles and soldiers in the distance. She said she initially thought the gunfire was warning shots.
“The scene was horrific to see a 7-month-old baby with a smashed face,” she said. “What kind of army in the world does this?”
Israeli soldiers accused of harming Palestinians are seldom penalized, and were indicted in fewer than 1% of cases based on 2,427 complaints alleging wrongdoing between 2016 and 2024, according to Israeli rights group Yesh Din.
On Saturday, the Palestinian Red Crescent said that eight people were wounded in settler attacks on the town of Huwara, near Nablus, including from tear gas inhalation and rubber-coated metal bullets.
Israel's military said that riots broke out between Israelis and Palestinians, with rocks and batons, after a reported theft of livestock and soldiers dispersed them. The military said that it was aware of footage showing a soldier using violence against a Palestinian and it was under review. Images appeared to show someone being thrown to the ground and beaten.
Huwara has seen numerous attacks in recent years. In February 2023, scores of Israeli settlers rampaged there, burning dozens of cars and homes, after a Palestinian gunman killed two settlers.
The United Nations said last month that more than 1,000 Palestinians including at least 240 children have been killed in the West Bank and east Jerusalem since the war in Gaza began with the attack by Hamas-led militants on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
More than 700,000 Israelis live in the occupied West Bank and east Jerusalem, territories captured by Israel in 1967 from Jordan and sought by the Palestinians for a future state. The international community overwhelmingly considers Israeli settlement construction in these areas to be illegal and an obstacle to peace.
An Israeli strike on Saturday in Gaza City killed at least seven people, including two women, a girl and her father, all from the same family, according to Shifa Hospital. Director Mohamed Abu Selmiya said that a tent near the Rimal school was struck.
Israel's military said that it attacked what it called militants in the area.
Meanwhile, Hamas said that negotiators chaired by Khalil al-Hayyah began a new round of talks in Cairo with mediators from Egypt, Qatar and Turkey, in an effort to break a deadlock and move forward in implementing the Gaza ceasefire deal that took effect in October. The previous round of talks was a month ago.
Spokesperson Hazem Qassem said the talks were aimed at fully implementing the ceasefire's first phase and ending Israel’s near-daily attacks in the territory. The fragile ceasefire began in October. While the heaviest fighting has subsided, the truce has seen almost daily Israeli fire.
Nickolay Mladenov, the head of the U.S.-created Board of Peace that oversees the ceasefire, acknowledged last month that the truce has stalled over the key issue of disarming Hamas.
Qassem said the talks will discuss “approaches acceptable to all parties" to implement the second phase, including addressing weapons of Palestinian militant groups and the entry of an international stabilization force.
Samy Magdy reported from Cairo, and Sam Mednick from Tel Aviv, Israel.
Mourners carry the body of Abdullah Qadoum, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike that targeted a tent housing Palestinians, during his funeral in Gaza City, Saturday, June 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
Residents evacuate a wounded man who was injured in an Israeli airstrike that targeted a tent housing Palestinians, in Gaza City, Saturday, June 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
Mourners pray over the body of seven month old Palestinian baby boy Sam Fahd Abu Haikal, who was killed on Friday when, according to the Palestinian health ministry, Israeli soldiers fired at the vehicle carrying him and his parents in Tel Rumeida, during his funeral in the West Bank city of Hebron, Saturday, June 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)
Fahd Abu Haikal, 41 carries the body of his seven month old Palestinian baby boy Sam, who was killed on Friday when, according to the Palestinian health ministry, Israeli soldiers fired at the vehicle carrying him and his parents in Tel Rumeida, during his funeral in the West Bank city of Hebron, Saturday, June 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)
Fahd Abu Haikal, 41 carries the body of his seven month old Palestinian baby boy Sam, who was killed on Friday when, according to the Palestinian health ministry, Israeli soldiers fired at the vehicle carrying him and his parents in Tel Rumeida, during his funeral in the West Bank city of Hebron, Saturday, June 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)
Mourners pray over the body of seven month old Palestinian baby boy Sam Fahd Abu Haikal, who was killed on Friday when, according to the Palestinian health ministry, Israeli soldiers fired at the vehicle carrying him and his parents in Tel Rumeida, during his funeral in the West Bank city of Hebron, Saturday, June 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)
Fahd Abu Heikal, 41 displays a mobile photo of his seven month old Palestinian baby boy Sam, who was killed on Friday when Israeli soldiers fired at the vehicle carrying him and his parents in Tel Rumeida, at a hospital in the West Bank city of Hebron Saturday, June 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)
A man inspects the shattered family vehicle of seven month old Palestinian baby boy Sam Fahd Abu Heikal, who was killed on Friday when Israeli soldiers fired at the vehicle carrying him and his parents, in Tel Rumeida, in the West Bank city of Hebron Saturday, June 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)
A bullet hole is seen at the windshield of the shattered family vehicle of seven month old Palestinian baby boy Sam Fahd Abu Heikal, who was killed on Friday when Israeli soldiers fired at the vehicle carrying him and his parents, in Tel Rumeida, in the West Bank city of Hebron Saturday, June 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)
Child care bag of seven month old Palestinian baby boy Sam Fahd Abu Heikal, who was killed on Friday when Israeli soldiers fired at the vehicle carrying him and his parents in Tel Rumeida, at the shattered family vehicle in the West Bank city of Hebron Saturday, June 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)
Fahd Abu Heikal, 41 displays a mobile photo of his seven month old Palestinian baby boy Sam, who was killed on Friday when Israeli soldiers fired at the vehicle carrying him and his parents, in Tel Rumeida, at a hospital in the West Bank city of Hebron Saturday, June 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)
