Maja Chwalinska suffers match-point injury before losing to qualifier Mananchaya Sawangkaew in Wimbledon first round
Updated 30/06/2026 at 10:31 GMT+1
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Maja Chwalinska suffered a disappointing defeat at Wimbledon after an injury she sustained while on match point turned her first-round clash against Mananchaya Sawangkaew on its head. The Pole battled through the ankle issue but could not stop the qualifier's comeback.
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In just her third match in Wimbledon's main draw, shock French Open runner-up Chwalinska looked set to come out on top against Sawangkaew after storming into a 6-2 5-2 lead.
However, the No. 20 seed ultimately fell to a 2-6 7-5 6-2 defeat against her Thai rival, after a painful-looking slip on match point appeared to cause an issue with her right ankle.
Chwalinska confirmed that she did not feel comfortable after the fall, revealing that the injury made it difficult for her to move.
”I'm definitely very disappointed,” she said in her post-match press conference. ”I was one point from winning a match. It's a Grand Slam, so of course every match is very, very important.
”But, yeah, I'll get through it. It's tennis, it's sport, so I will lose many more like this, and I will hopefully win some like that.
”I fell, and I felt my ankle. I wanted to continue, but I didn't feel comfortable moving, so I wanted to tape it, but I would lose this point anyway, like it doesn't matter if I fell or not.
”It definitely didn't help me later on, but it is what it is.”
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Chwalinska was hoping to return to a Grand Slam final after reaching the climax of the 2026 French Open as a qualifier, where she fell to defeat against Mirra Andreeva.
But towards the end of the second set, the Polish star fell to the ground while trying to complete a forehand shot on her opponent’s serve.
After losing the game, Chwalinska called for a medical timeout, receiving treatment on her foot.
She then lost the next four games of the match, allowing Sawangkaew to send the clash to a decisive third set.
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Chwalinska could not defy the odds and ultimately had to accept defeat, but she revealed that she would have been filled with regret had she been forced to withdraw.
”I just accept it. It's sport, what can I do? It's Wimbledon. I don't want to retire in Wimbledon.
"I knew that later on I got cramps everywhere, so I knew that I don't take a huge risk on my health, it's going to be okay.
”But, yeah, I think I would have many regrets if I would retire, so I just wanted to continue.”
For Sawangkaew, it was simply a matter of concentrating on her own game to rescue what looked for all the world like a lost cause.
She said: "I felt like she had an injury in the second set. I saw it on her ankle. And then I was down 5-2. I tried to focus on myself at that time mostly, because my coach always tells me, 'Just focus on yourself first.'
"Then I had to control a lot in my mind and a lot of what I had to do. So I just mostly focused on myself, just still fighting for every ball the same."
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