PARIS, June 4 (Reuters) - Polish qualifier Maja Chwalinska said she would remain in her bubble to maintain her focus after her breakthrough run to the French Open final, where she will take on Russian eighth seed Mirra Andreeva for the biggest prize of her career.
Chwalinska beat Diana Shnaider 7-6(4) 6-4 on Court Philippe Chatrier playing spectacular tennis and now sits on the verge of becoming the first qualifier in the professional era to win the French Open, but the 24-year-old is keen to block out any noise.
"Yeah, for sure. I mean I feel like I'm in a bubble, I'd say. I don't know what's going on. I'm just very happy to be here," Chwalinska told reporters.
"I just try to focus on every single match, give my all, and then after the tournament, there will be time to kind of process it and breathe in, breathe out."
The Pole added that she was deliberately keeping her routine simple as she prepares for the biggest final of her career.
"I'm going to sleep, I'm going to drink my tea," she said.
"I'm going to watch something good, maybe some tennis, because I'm a bit of a tennis freak.
"I love watching tennis. When I was younger, I watched tennis all day, every day. So I feel like it really helps me with reading the game better."
Chwalinska's fairytale run has captured the imagination of Parisian fans, with many of them roaring her towards victory in her clash on the main showcourt.
"I feel like tennis is more enjoyable (when) you can share emotions with people. You can see their reactions. So I always enjoyed when there were people watching," Chwalinska said.
"I was surprised (by the crowd). It was a great moment for me. I really appreciate it and I'm grateful for it. I definitely feel the crowd helped me a lot and gave me a lot of energy."
(Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Paris, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
