Entering as the 76th seed with a 2207 rating, Hnatyshyn's run was one of the great underdog stories in recent chess history.

After defeating the lower-rated Aneta Kedelidze in the opening round, she took down IM Marina Brunello (ITA, 2346) in round two, defeated IM Sabrina Vega Gutierrez (ESP, 2375) in round three, and beat IM Mai Narva (EST, 2426) in round four — all higher-rated opponents. By round six, she had scored six consecutive upsets and held a flawless 6/6 lead going into the rest day.

Her perfect run was finally stopped in round seven by 2023 European Women's Champion IM Meri Arabidze of Georgia, who caught her at the top of the standings — but Hnatyshyn bounced back. She defeated IM Eline Roebers (NED, 2389) in round ten to enter the final round with a half-point edge over the rest of the field, holding an outstanding score of 8.5/10 points.