Titleholder Swiatek to face top-ranked Sabalenka in French Open women's semifinals

Samuel Petrequin · The Associated Press

· Posted: Jun 03, 2025 11:50 AM EDT | Last Updated: 5 minutes ago

Four-time champion Iga Swiatek's 26th successive triumph astatine Roland-Garros connected Tuesday acceptable up a semifinal clash against top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka successful what volition beryllium their archetypal French Open meeting.

Swiatek defeated Elina Svitolina 6-1, 7-5 to widen her awesome run. The consecutive wins grounds connected the Parisian reddish clay is Chris Evert's 29.

Sabalenka ousted Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen successful consecutive sets to scope the Paris semifinals for the 2nd time. She volition look Swiatek connected Thursday.

Having been searching for her champion signifier successful caller months, Swiatek, who struggled successful the erstwhile round, was successful full power successful the opening set.

She was made to enactment harder by her 13th-seeded Ukrainian rival successful the 2nd set, dropping her service successful the 4th crippled aft hitting 2 consecutive unforced errors into the net. But Swiatek broke backmost instantly and took vantage of Svitolina's mediocre work crippled to interruption again with a thunderous forehand instrumentality and determination up 6-5. Swiatek sealed the triumph with a last ace.

Swiatek has won 5 of the six matches she's played connected clay against Sabalenka, including a thrilling three-setter successful Spain past year.

"The Madrid last against her is 1 of the champion and astir breathtaking finals that I person played," said Swiatek, who has not won a rubric oregon reached a last since her triumph astatine Roland-Garros past year. "It is ever a situation against Aryna. She truly has a crippled for each surface."

Sabalenka is trying to scope her sixth Grand Slam final, and archetypal astatine Roland-Garros.

"We've had a batch of large battles successful the past," Sabalenka said. "I'm ace excited to spell retired determination and to combat and to bash everything I request to get the win."

Sabalenka shone connected large points

Sabalenka overcame a shaky commencement and windy conditions to prevail against Zheng 7-6 (3), 6-3 and widen her grounds against the Chinese prima to 7-1.

The people did not afloat bespeak the closeness of the quarterfinal, though, with truthful small separating the rivals. But Sabalenka demonstrated wherefore she was No. 1, making the quality connected large points, portion Zheng struggled with her service successful tense moments.

Sabalenka had mislaid her astir caller lucifer against Zheng past period successful Rome, having antecedently dominated their archetypal six encounters. She said that nonaccomplishment was a bully happening successful the mediate of an already exhausting season.

"I was really gladsome I mislaid that match, due to the fact that I needed a small interruption earlier Roland-Garros," Sabalenka said. "Today, I was conscionable much fresh. I was acceptable to battle; I was acceptable to permission everything I had connected tribunal to get this win."

Sabalenka, a three-time large champion, has yet to driblet a acceptable successful Paris.

Zheng started beardown connected Court Philippe-Chatrier, breaking aboriginal and dominating with assertive play.

However, 2 treble faults successful the eighth crippled allowed Sabalenka to interruption backmost and displacement the momentum.

A misjudged telephone by Zheng successful the 12th crippled astir outgo her, but she fought disconnected a acceptable constituent to unit a tiebreaker. Sabalenka remained much accordant and secured the acceptable aft Zheng deed agelong connected a driblet shot.

Zheng saved a interruption constituent with an overhead changeable successful the 5th crippled of the 2nd set, but Sabalenka's almighty backhand instrumentality pinned her down connected the adjacent one, allowing the top-ranked subordinate to determination up 3--2. Zheng did not spell down without a fight, though, and broke backmost immediately, lone to driblet her 2 past work games.

The nonaccomplishment ended a tally of 10 consecutive lucifer wins for Zheng astatine Roland-Garros, dating to past summer's Olympic Games.