Before arriving in Paris to attempt to qualify for this year's French Open, Maja Chwalinska had only ever won two tour-level matches on clay.
The Polish 24-year-old surpassed that tally to secure her Roland Garros debut - but that was just the beginning of what has become a dream run to the semi-finals.
The world number 114 was left open-mouthed with shock after completing a superb 7-6 (7-3) 6-3 win over 22nd seed Anna Kalinskaya.
With that victory, Chwalinska became only the second qualifier after Nadia Podoroska in 2020 to reach the women's singles semi-finals at Roland Garros.
She is only the sixth qualifier in the Open era to achieve that across the sport's four Grand Slam tournaments.
Only one - Britain's Emma Raducanu at the 2021 US Open - went on to win the title.
Unexpectedly, it is Diana Shnaider who awaits in the last four, after the Russian 25th seed stunned world number one and clear title favourite Aryna Sabalenka.
"I honestly don't know what is going on," Chwalinska said.
"Coming here, my goal was to qualify. I felt like I'm doing the right things and I just need to be patient for it to click.
"I didn't expect it to happen that way - but I'm not complaining."
It has been a remarkable run for Chwalinska in only her third major main-draw appearance.
Her sole previous Grand Slam match win came at Wimbledon in 2022. She now finds herself on an eight-match winning streak on the Parisian clay, having dropped just one set on the way.
Everything appears to have clicked in place for a player who once feared she might leave the sport for good.
Chwalinska struggled with depression for two years and took an indefinite break from tennis after losing in the first round of qualifying at Wimbledon five years ago.
She did not know whether she would return at that point, having lost her enjoyment of training and competing.
With the support of the people around her and the openness of fellow players such as Naomi Osaka in speaking about their mental health, Chwalinska gradually gravitated back to the tennis court.
It has all led her to this moment of a first major semi-final, and the brink of French Open history.
Reflecting on those times when such success could not have felt further away, Chwalinska said: "I was struggling a lot. I pushed at the beginning, I thought that I just needed to stay very strong and just keep practicing.
"But then I just couldn't get out of bed anymore. I was just lifeless.
"I knew that I needed to take a break. I honestly didn't know if I was going to come back or not.
"I needed to figure out a few things in my head. After [a few] months, I came back. I'm happy that I did."
In Paris, Chwalinska has played with infectious freedom and joyful creativity, beating two seeded players and Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen along the way.
She kept her composure well against Kalinskaya, first having to reset after letting a 5-1 lead slip in the opener, before reeling off five straight points from 3-2 down in the resulting tie-break to take the lead.
She then held her nerve in the second, recovering from being broken as she tried to serve out victory before clinching her first match point on Kalinskaya's serve.
"I was definitely nervous. I am stressed, of course, but I try to focus on my job and my games," Chwalinska said.
"I am not focusing on confidence. I am playing against the best players in the world, so I will not compare myself to them."
Chwalinska said her aim for 2026 was to break into the world's top 100.
She is currently projected to leap into the top 30, regardless of her semi-final result.
By reaching the final four, she has also secured prize money amounting to £647,700.
That means she has more than doubled her total career earnings, which had stood at £642,400, in the space of 10 days.