French Open 2025 Women’s Day 10

Aryna Sabalenka took her revenge against Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen, waiting nearly three weeks to earn a win after losing to the Chinese ace last month in Rome on clay.

Top seed Sabalenka scored a 7-6 (3), 6-3 result to reach the French Open semi-finals on Tuesday without dropping a set.

The three-time Grand Slam champion who won the Australian and US Opens last season, will bid for her first final at Roland Garros against Iga Swiatek, winner of the last three editions, who defeated Elina Svitolina 6-1, 7-5.

Fifth seed Swiatek won her 26th straight match here, finishing with her only three aces of the match in the final game.

“I’m proud of those aces, they don’t happen very often,” the Pole said. “It’s nice to get some points for free.”

Swiatek defeated Ukrainian Svitolina in Miami this season and now owns victories in four of their five meetings.

“I should have had better intensity at the start of the second set (after being broken to trail 3-1),” Swiatek said. “My intensity went low but I got it high again.

“I’m happy I did that until the end.”

The former No. 1 is hoping to become the first woman to win the title here four years in a row in the Open Era; Monica Seles and Justin Henin are the only two players with three straight trophies in Paris.

Sabalenka duplicated her 2023 semi-final here but is dreaming of going farther on the Paris clay.

“We are all here for one reason – we all want that beautiful trophy,” she said. “I want to do better than my last time.

“I’m ready to go out and compete. I hope at the end of the clay season I’ll be very proud of myself.”

The top seed and China’s Paris gold medalist duelled for 75 minutes in the opening set, with Zheng over-ruled as she stopped play at one point when she thought her opponent’s shot was out.

Sabalenka aced in the tiebreaker for three first-set points, taking the set when Zheng returned long.

The pair exchanged three consecutive breaks in the second set, with Sablenka coming out ahead 4-3 and closing out the win two games later.

“It was a true battle, I had no idea how to get back into the second set,” the winner said.

“I could just fight and battle. I didn’t start the match wellut I found my rhythm – it was a tough match to win.”

Sabalenka said that her quarter-final Rome loss to Zheng was a special case: “I was exhausted. At the end of the match I was glad I lost I needed a little break before Roland Garros.

“Today I was ready to battle and get this win. I’m really happy with it.”

Zheng confessed that the grandeur of the moment affected her performance.

“I think I got tight because it’s the French Open quarterfinals.

“It doesn’t matter who I face. I will be really tight because I have so much (hunger). This can make me perform not best.

“Today I didn’t even perform at 60, 70 per cent.”