Poland’s Iga Swiatek displayed her dominance on Wednesday as she defeated Coco Gauff to secure a spot in the French Open semifinals. Swiatek, the defending champion and world number one, triumphed over the 19-year-old Gauff with a score of 6-4, 6-2 in a rematch of last year’s final.
This win marked Swiatek’s seventh consecutive victory over Gauff, improving her exceptional record at Roland Garros to 26-2.
The 22-year-old Swiatek is now eyeing her third French Open title and a chance to become the first woman since Justine Henin in 2007 to successfully defend the championship in Paris.
With an impressive performance and not having dropped a set in the tournament so far, Swiatek expressed her satisfaction after the match, stating, “It wasn’t easy, the first set was really tight. Coco was really using the conditions, so I was happy to be able to work on it and win this match.”
In the upcoming semifinals, Swiatek will face Beatriz Haddad Maia, who has made history as the first Brazilian woman in 55 years to reach the last four of a Grand Slam. Haddad Maia, ranked 14th in the world, secured her spot by defeating seventh-ranked Ons Jabeur with a score of 3-6, 7-6 (7/5), 6-1.
The 27-year-old left-hander’s remarkable achievement follows in the footsteps of the legendary Maria Bueno, who was the last Brazilian woman to reach the semifinals of a major tournament at the US Open in 1966.
Haddad Maia demonstrated great resilience throughout the match against Jabeur, saving a match point in the third round and then triumphing in a gruelling three-hour and 51-minute battle in the previous round. Her determination carried over to the quarterfinals, where she held her nerve and ultimately secured victory.
In the other semifinal clash, Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka will face unseeded Karolina Muchova from the Czech Republic.
With anticipation building for the men’s semifinal between Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic on Friday, all eyes are now focused on the remaining women’s matches to determine who will join the heavyweight contenders in the last four.
Last year’s quarterfinal between Casper Ruud and Holger Rune was not without its drama, as tensions spilt over off the court. However, both players hope for a smoother encounter this time around.
Ruud ranked fourth, holds a 4-1 head-to-head advantage over the sixth-ranked Rune, although Rune emerged victorious in their most recent clay-court meeting in the Rome semifinals.
The winner of their clash will face either German 22nd seed Alexander Zverev, a seasoned quarterfinalist, or unseeded Tomas Martin Etcheverry from Argentina, who is making his first appearance at this stage of a major tournament.
Zverev, a two-time semifinalist in Paris, is looking to avoid a repeat of last year’s ankle injury that prematurely ended his campaign.
As the French Open enters its decisive stages, the tennis world eagerly awaits the outcomes of these intriguing matchups.
