Gauff, Boisson walk on court

New York Times

a day ago

Catch up on the French Open semifinal reaction after Gauff and Sabalenka beat Loïs Boisson and Iga Świątek respectively at Roland Garros Getty Images
Aryna Sabalenka just won her French Open semifinal. I blinked and Coco Gauff and Lois Boisson are walking on Court Philippe-Chatrier.
We're moments away from the second women's singles semifinal getting underway.
Settle in, tennis fans. Getty Images
Iga Świątek won just six points in the entirety of that third set.
She well and truly unravelled and will surely feel bruised by that demolition in the third set of a semifinal on her favourite surface and at her favourite venue.
She'll be back for another go in the Grand Slam at Wimbledon but it is now a year since she held one of those titles.
With Aryna Sabalenka's three-set victory, she's into her first Roland Garros final and sixth at slams overall. She's also the second woman to beat Iga Świątek twice on clay (the other being Elena Rybakina). Getty Images
And here's our winner! Aryna Sabalenka can be pleased with the outcome of that one, particularly the final set — here's what she had to say in her on court interview:
💬 'Honestly it feels incredible but the job is not done yet. I'm thrilled with the performance today with this win and with the atmosphere in the stadium. It makes us feel amazing.
'She's the toughest opponent, especially on clay at Roland Garros. I'm proud that I was able to get this win. It was tough and a streaky match. I'm so proud right now.
'I'm glad that I found my serve and it was a bit easier with the serve (int eh third set). 6-0, what more can you say.' Getty Images
Are we witnessing a changing of the guard?
Aryna Sabalenka is already No. 1 in the world but Iga Świątek has only lost twice on clay at Roland Garros before today.
Is this the end of her dominance here? She has not had the best season up to this point and while it was not a perfect Sabalenka performance, it is hard to look past her now.
With Iga Świątek knocked out we know that the French Open women's singles trophy will have a new name on it this year.
But will it be Aryna Sabalenka, Coco Gauff or Lois Boisson?
Stick around for the second semifinal on the way soon as we narrow that list down to two names. Getty Images
Aryna Sabalenka has become a staple in Grand Slam finals. She will play in her third straight final on Saturday having got to the final hurdle in Melbourne and New York.
She won at the 2024 U.S. Open against Jessica Pegula but was beaten at the Australian Open by Madison Keys.
Will the world No. 1 go all the way and win her first French Open title? Getty Images
FINAL: Sabalenka (7)7-6(1), 4-6, 6-0 Świątek
What a match and what a performance in that third set from Aryna Sabalenka.
She was so far off it in the second set but fought back with a bagel to secure her place in her first-ever Roland Garros final.
There were twists and turns in that one, what an enthralling match. Getty Images
Aryna Sabalenka is known for her power. It's hard to believe that she's hitting her groundstrokes harder than she's had the entire match, isn't it?
She's plastering Iga Świątek's serve off the return, dictating the point and putting the Pole on her heels. Sabalenka is hitting her forehand even flatter. And her backhand is deep off the return, forcing Świątek to hit unforced errors.
It's one of the main reasons why Sabalenka's up a double break in this final set.
Sabalenka (7)7-6(1), 4-6, *4-0 Świątek
This is where Sabalenka has come alive.
It has been an up and down match for her but Świątek is crumbling as Sabalenka asserts herself as No. 1.
She is running away with the third set as Świątek makes error after error and can't keep the ball on the court. Getty Images
Sabalenka (7)7-6(1), 4-6, *4-0 Świątek
Wow, wow, wow!
You could maybe have predicted a Sabalenka win over three sets but her surge to a 4-0 lead in this third set is really impressive.
She's just broken Świątek without the reigning champion managing to get a point on the board. A rough start to the set for the No. 5 seed.
This is a scintillating start to the final set for Aryna Sabalenka. The world No. 1 hasn't had a sniff at a break of Iga Świątek's serve.
Until that last game. I love how Sabalenka hit behind the No. 5 seed with a powerful cross court forehand out wide, before Świątek committed an unforced error to end the game.
After breaks of serve today, there have been four service holds and six immediate break backs. Let's see if Sabalenka can consolidate. Getty Images
Iga had good reads on that break point. She was in position to extend the rally but couldn't seem to handle the pace.
I had her winning in three sets. I still believe — but if she keeps making errors by going for big shots instead of getting into points, that's going to be a problem.
She's up 24-14 on points longer than four shots. But Sabalenka is 71-46 on points that last four points or fewer. Getty Images
Another bit of Sabalenka variety — a chipped return short in the court off a strong first serve — draws a crucial error from Świątek, who again tried to hit up on a low ball close to the net rather than hitting a slice with her racket under the ball.
She has been good at the net the past few games, but not on that sort of shot. Sabalenka duly breaks to move four games from the final. Getty Images
Sabalenka (7)7-6(1), 4-6, *2-0 Świątek
How important could this be?
Sabalenka gets the break as Świątek drills a return into the net. After a frustrating second set, Sabalenka has chance to replicate the first with a blistering start to this deciding set.
Świątek has made five unforced errors in this set so far.
Sabalenka won't be happy about her first-serve percentage dropping to 48 percent in that set, but it does give her something to build back up in the decider.
The short point / long point battle is the same as it was, but Świątek won 71 percent of points behind her first serve in the second set, compared to 43 percent in the first.
Sabalenka actually raised her effectiveness too, from 64 percent to 75 percent. Getty Images
Break points won: Sabalenka: 60 percent
Świątek: 50 percent
Winners:
Unforced errors: Getty Images
The feel Świątek demonstrated in that exchange at the net is symptomatic of a set in which she's played with much better variety and touch. We're back level at a set each and have the third set this match deserved.
I went for Sabalenka in three before the match, have to stick with that — even though the momentum is with her opponent. Getty Images
In full recognition of the fact that there is a 50 percent chance I'm wrong... I think Sabalenka needed to win this match in two sets.