Alcaraz, Swiatek and Sabalenka in French Open semi-final hunt
Carlos Alcaraz expects a stiff challenge from Tommy Paul in the French Open quarter-finals Tuesday, as women's title rivals Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka look to set up a blockbuster clash.
Reigning men's champion Alcaraz is through to the last eight at Roland Garros for the fourth year running and aims to become the third man this century to defend his title, after Gustavo Kuerten and Rafael Nadal.
Alcaraz has dropped a set in each of the past three rounds and said "I fought against myself in the mind" after a tough four-set victory over Ben Shelton in the last 16.
The 22-year-old Spaniard holds a 4-2 career record against Paul, the US 12th seed whom Alcaraz beat in the quarter-finals of the Paris Olympics on the way to a silver medal last August.
"I remember that every match that I've played against him he was really tough," said Alcaraz.
"His level is really high right now. He has a lot of confidence.
"It's going to be a really interesting match to watch, because every time we play against each other, we rise our level to the top as well."
If Alcaraz gets past Paul he will meet the winner of Tuesday's other men's quarter-final between in-form Italian Lorenzo Musetti and Frances Tiafoe.
Musetti has been one of the form players on clay this season, reaching at least the last four in all three of the principal warm-up events ahead of the French Open.
Both Musetti and US 15th seed Tiafoe are appearing at this stage of Roland Garros for the first time.
Tiafoe, twice a US Open semi-finalist, has yet to drop a set in Paris and is confident he can go even further.
"When I'm playing well, I'm there and present and having fun, I think the sky's the limit for me."
- Swiatek, Sabalenka on collision course -
Swiatek arrived at her favourite tournament with serious doubts over her ability to win a fifth French Open in six years after a lengthy trophy drought.
The 24-year-old Pole has not won a title since lifting the Coupe Suzanne Lenglen for a third successive edition 12 months ago.
She was put to the test by Elena Rybakina, who led by a set and a break before Swiatek escaped trouble to book a quarter-final with Elina Svitolina.
"It means a lot. I think I needed that kind of win to like feel these feelings that I'm able to win under pressure," Swiatek said after reeling off her 25th win in a row at the French Open.
"It's a great confirmation for me. Yeah, I for sure wanted to have a match like that."
Ukrainian 13th seed Svitolina pulled off an even more remarkable comeback against 2024 runner-up Jasmine Paolini, saving three match points to reach her fifth Roland Garros quarter-final.
The 30-year-old has never advanced to the last four but will hope to finally match husband Gael Monfils' run to the semi-finals in 2008.
That French connection also guarantees Svitolina has her fair share of supporters in Paris.
"For so many years I loved and still loving to play here in France," she said.
"The support is amazing. They push me to play better... this is a great feeling to have when the crowd is giving you this extra energy."
World number one Aryna Sabalenka is on a revenge mission against Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen after losing to the Chinese star in Rome recently.
Zheng beat Sabalenka for the first time in seven attempts and will try to repeat the trick against the player she lost to in the 2024 Australian Open final.
"I expect a great battle, and I'm super excited to face her in the quarter-finals, and I want to get my revenge. Yeah, I want to get this win after Rome," said Sabalenka.
Madrid champion Sabalenka feels she is ready to go all the way in Paris, where her best performance was reaching the semi-finals two years ago.
"I think in the last year I improved a lot in my game, and I think now going to the French Open, I don't have those doubts that I cannot play on clay, so maybe I'm more confident this year."
A win over Zheng could line up an eagerly anticipated last-four showdown with Swiatek.
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ABC News
2 hours ago
- ABC News
Lois Boisson stuns sixth seed Mirra Andreeva to reach French Open semifinals
World number 361 Lois Boisson is daring to dream of an improbable triumph after she stormed into the French Open semifinals to continue her magnificent run at the clay-court major. The 22-year-old Frenchwoman, competing in the main draw of a major for the first time, beat Russian prodigy and sixth seed Mirra Andreeva in the quarterfinals, 7-6 (8/6), 6-3. Boisson had defeated world number three Jessica Pegula in the previous round. A wildcard at Roland-Garros, Boisson was hovering around the 150th place on the WTA rankings when she sustained a serious knee injury a year ago. Now that she is fit, she has her eyes firmly fixed on the biggest prize. "For sure, every tennis player dreams of winning a [major] and for a French player, Roland-Garros, even more so," Boisson said. "I'll go for it because my dream is to win the final, not the semifinal." The daughter of a former professional basketball player, Boisson has lit up the clay courts in Paris with her gutsy performances and calm demeanour under pressure. "When I started tennis, I was very nervous, very emotional on court," Boisson, who faces world number two Coco Gauff in the semifinals. "It was hurting me too much. I realised I wouldn't go far if I stayed like that. I learned to control it." Boisson appreciated the support from the French crowd, with chants and the national anthem La Marseillaise ringing around Court Philippe-Chatrier. "At the warm-up, when they played La Marseillaise, I wasn't expecting it," Boisson said. "It gave me goosebumps. Having the public behind me like this. It's a real boost." Gauff advanced via a 6-7 (6/8), 6-4, 6-1 triumph over fellow American and Australian Open champion, Madison Keys. Men's world number one Jannik Sinner geared up for his quarterfinal by hitting with Boisson. Sinner continued his bid for the Roland-Garros title with an efficient 6-1, 7-5, 6-0 win over Kazakh Alexander Bublik shortly after Boisson's upset win over Andreeva. The duo began their day by practising under the closed roof of the main show court. "The level she (Boisson) produces is amazing," Sinner told reporters. "Very consistent, clay-court style with the forehand and a lot of top-spin. "Today it was raining, so I called the desk if there were some free spots, because I don't want to risk to go on court without warming up. So we arrived quite early. "She straightaway said yes and we hit some balls. "Physically she's very strong. She deserves to be in the position where she is right now, and we wish her all the best for the future." Boisson will at least break into the world's top 70 next week. "It's amazing, no? I think that's exactly what France needs, something very new, very special, great mentality," Sinner said. "She's someone who is quite calm on the court, at least she seems like it." Sinner will play the winner of the quarterfinal between Alexander Zverev and Novak Djokovic in the last four. Reuters
The Advertiser
6 hours ago
- The Advertiser
Boisson's brilliance prompts Andreeva meltdown
Lois Boisson, a 22-year-old Frenchwoman ranked 361 in the world, has caused a sensation by knocking No.6 seed Mirra Andreeva out of the French Open, 7-6 (8-6) 6-3. Boisson, a wildcard who has never played in the main draw of a grand slam before, pulled off her second scarcely believable upset this week to reach the semi-finals at Roland Garros. Boisson dropped to the clay with her hands over her eyes in emotional scenes before cupping her ear to the crowd on a packed, raucous Court Philippe-Chatrier. It was all too much for Russian teenager Andreeva, who had two set points in the first but suffered a complete meltdown in the second after squandering a 3-0 lead. She told the crowd to "shut up", received a code violation for whacking a ball into the stands, burst into tears and forced her mother Raisa to leave her box. Roared on under the roof of Chatrier, Boisson won the final six games of the match Boisson, who suffered a career-threatening ACL injury before what was supposed to be her debut here last year, will be comfortably inside the top 100 after this fairytale run. Appropriately, on her right arm, she has a simple tattoo: RESILIENCE. But she is playing like a top-10 player. She has now beaten the third seed, Jessica Pegula, and the sixth. Second seed Coco Gauff awaits on Thursday for a place in the final. "It's incredible. Thank you for supporting me like this — I have no words," Boisson told a delirious home crowd. "I ran a bit too much because I was so tense early on," she said. "But I fought hard in that first set, which was so intense. At the start of the second, I felt a little empty, but I hung in there and finished the job." Earlier, Gauff huffed and puffed to a 6-7 (8-6) 6-4 6-1 victory against fellow American Madison Keys in a error-strewn match both players will want to forget quickly. More than half of Gauff's points came from the Australian Open champion's mistakes and the world No.2 got away with a total of 10 double faults. Altogether there were over a 100 errors. The 21-year-old will need to make dramatic adjustments when she faces Boisson for a place in Sunday's final. Keys, who was looking to reach the last four at Roland Garros for the second time after 2018, bowed out with her 60th unforced error to end a forgettable contest. "I'm happy to get through this match today, I have a lot more work to do, I'll be ready tomorrow," Gauff said. Gauff, who reached the final here in 2022, is the youngest woman to claim 25 main-draw wins at Roland Garros since Martina Hingis (1995-2000). While the quality was patchy at best, the drama was undeniable, with momentum swinging wildly. In the end, Keys edged the tiebreaker in the first set as Gauff double-faulted three times. Things did not get better in the second set. "So many unforced errors," Gauff said on court, in one of the understatements of the season. She levelled the contest as Keys looked out of sorts and cantered through the decider. With PA Lois Boisson, a 22-year-old Frenchwoman ranked 361 in the world, has caused a sensation by knocking No.6 seed Mirra Andreeva out of the French Open, 7-6 (8-6) 6-3. Boisson, a wildcard who has never played in the main draw of a grand slam before, pulled off her second scarcely believable upset this week to reach the semi-finals at Roland Garros. Boisson dropped to the clay with her hands over her eyes in emotional scenes before cupping her ear to the crowd on a packed, raucous Court Philippe-Chatrier. It was all too much for Russian teenager Andreeva, who had two set points in the first but suffered a complete meltdown in the second after squandering a 3-0 lead. She told the crowd to "shut up", received a code violation for whacking a ball into the stands, burst into tears and forced her mother Raisa to leave her box. Roared on under the roof of Chatrier, Boisson won the final six games of the match Boisson, who suffered a career-threatening ACL injury before what was supposed to be her debut here last year, will be comfortably inside the top 100 after this fairytale run. Appropriately, on her right arm, she has a simple tattoo: RESILIENCE. But she is playing like a top-10 player. She has now beaten the third seed, Jessica Pegula, and the sixth. Second seed Coco Gauff awaits on Thursday for a place in the final. "It's incredible. Thank you for supporting me like this — I have no words," Boisson told a delirious home crowd. "I ran a bit too much because I was so tense early on," she said. "But I fought hard in that first set, which was so intense. At the start of the second, I felt a little empty, but I hung in there and finished the job." Earlier, Gauff huffed and puffed to a 6-7 (8-6) 6-4 6-1 victory against fellow American Madison Keys in a error-strewn match both players will want to forget quickly. More than half of Gauff's points came from the Australian Open champion's mistakes and the world No.2 got away with a total of 10 double faults. Altogether there were over a 100 errors. The 21-year-old will need to make dramatic adjustments when she faces Boisson for a place in Sunday's final. Keys, who was looking to reach the last four at Roland Garros for the second time after 2018, bowed out with her 60th unforced error to end a forgettable contest. "I'm happy to get through this match today, I have a lot more work to do, I'll be ready tomorrow," Gauff said. Gauff, who reached the final here in 2022, is the youngest woman to claim 25 main-draw wins at Roland Garros since Martina Hingis (1995-2000). While the quality was patchy at best, the drama was undeniable, with momentum swinging wildly. In the end, Keys edged the tiebreaker in the first set as Gauff double-faulted three times. Things did not get better in the second set. "So many unforced errors," Gauff said on court, in one of the understatements of the season. She levelled the contest as Keys looked out of sorts and cantered through the decider. With PA Lois Boisson, a 22-year-old Frenchwoman ranked 361 in the world, has caused a sensation by knocking No.6 seed Mirra Andreeva out of the French Open, 7-6 (8-6) 6-3. Boisson, a wildcard who has never played in the main draw of a grand slam before, pulled off her second scarcely believable upset this week to reach the semi-finals at Roland Garros. Boisson dropped to the clay with her hands over her eyes in emotional scenes before cupping her ear to the crowd on a packed, raucous Court Philippe-Chatrier. It was all too much for Russian teenager Andreeva, who had two set points in the first but suffered a complete meltdown in the second after squandering a 3-0 lead. She told the crowd to "shut up", received a code violation for whacking a ball into the stands, burst into tears and forced her mother Raisa to leave her box. Roared on under the roof of Chatrier, Boisson won the final six games of the match Boisson, who suffered a career-threatening ACL injury before what was supposed to be her debut here last year, will be comfortably inside the top 100 after this fairytale run. Appropriately, on her right arm, she has a simple tattoo: RESILIENCE. But she is playing like a top-10 player. She has now beaten the third seed, Jessica Pegula, and the sixth. Second seed Coco Gauff awaits on Thursday for a place in the final. "It's incredible. Thank you for supporting me like this — I have no words," Boisson told a delirious home crowd. "I ran a bit too much because I was so tense early on," she said. "But I fought hard in that first set, which was so intense. At the start of the second, I felt a little empty, but I hung in there and finished the job." Earlier, Gauff huffed and puffed to a 6-7 (8-6) 6-4 6-1 victory against fellow American Madison Keys in a error-strewn match both players will want to forget quickly. More than half of Gauff's points came from the Australian Open champion's mistakes and the world No.2 got away with a total of 10 double faults. Altogether there were over a 100 errors. The 21-year-old will need to make dramatic adjustments when she faces Boisson for a place in Sunday's final. Keys, who was looking to reach the last four at Roland Garros for the second time after 2018, bowed out with her 60th unforced error to end a forgettable contest. "I'm happy to get through this match today, I have a lot more work to do, I'll be ready tomorrow," Gauff said. Gauff, who reached the final here in 2022, is the youngest woman to claim 25 main-draw wins at Roland Garros since Martina Hingis (1995-2000). While the quality was patchy at best, the drama was undeniable, with momentum swinging wildly. In the end, Keys edged the tiebreaker in the first set as Gauff double-faulted three times. Things did not get better in the second set. "So many unforced errors," Gauff said on court, in one of the understatements of the season. She levelled the contest as Keys looked out of sorts and cantered through the decider. With PA Lois Boisson, a 22-year-old Frenchwoman ranked 361 in the world, has caused a sensation by knocking No.6 seed Mirra Andreeva out of the French Open, 7-6 (8-6) 6-3. Boisson, a wildcard who has never played in the main draw of a grand slam before, pulled off her second scarcely believable upset this week to reach the semi-finals at Roland Garros. Boisson dropped to the clay with her hands over her eyes in emotional scenes before cupping her ear to the crowd on a packed, raucous Court Philippe-Chatrier. It was all too much for Russian teenager Andreeva, who had two set points in the first but suffered a complete meltdown in the second after squandering a 3-0 lead. She told the crowd to "shut up", received a code violation for whacking a ball into the stands, burst into tears and forced her mother Raisa to leave her box. Roared on under the roof of Chatrier, Boisson won the final six games of the match Boisson, who suffered a career-threatening ACL injury before what was supposed to be her debut here last year, will be comfortably inside the top 100 after this fairytale run. Appropriately, on her right arm, she has a simple tattoo: RESILIENCE. But she is playing like a top-10 player. She has now beaten the third seed, Jessica Pegula, and the sixth. Second seed Coco Gauff awaits on Thursday for a place in the final. "It's incredible. Thank you for supporting me like this — I have no words," Boisson told a delirious home crowd. "I ran a bit too much because I was so tense early on," she said. "But I fought hard in that first set, which was so intense. At the start of the second, I felt a little empty, but I hung in there and finished the job." Earlier, Gauff huffed and puffed to a 6-7 (8-6) 6-4 6-1 victory against fellow American Madison Keys in a error-strewn match both players will want to forget quickly. More than half of Gauff's points came from the Australian Open champion's mistakes and the world No.2 got away with a total of 10 double faults. Altogether there were over a 100 errors. The 21-year-old will need to make dramatic adjustments when she faces Boisson for a place in Sunday's final. Keys, who was looking to reach the last four at Roland Garros for the second time after 2018, bowed out with her 60th unforced error to end a forgettable contest. "I'm happy to get through this match today, I have a lot more work to do, I'll be ready tomorrow," Gauff said. Gauff, who reached the final here in 2022, is the youngest woman to claim 25 main-draw wins at Roland Garros since Martina Hingis (1995-2000). While the quality was patchy at best, the drama was undeniable, with momentum swinging wildly. In the end, Keys edged the tiebreaker in the first set as Gauff double-faulted three times. Things did not get better in the second set. "So many unforced errors," Gauff said on court, in one of the understatements of the season. She levelled the contest as Keys looked out of sorts and cantered through the decider. With PA
The Advertiser
6 hours ago
- The Advertiser
Sinner puts stop to Bublik's heroics
World number one Jannik Sinner marched on in his relentless pursuit of a first French Open title with a typically efficient win over Kazakh showman Alexander Bublik to reach the semi-finals. King of he drop shot Bublik had put out two top-10 seeds en route to the last eight – Australia's Alex de Minaur and Britain's Jack Draper – but Sinner ensured no repeat with a comprehensive 6-1 7-5 6-0 victory on Wednesday. The near-flawless victory, in just 1 hour, 49 minutes, ensured Sinner became the first Italian man to play in six grand slam semi-finals and extended his winning run at the majors to 19 matches, after his triumphs at last year's US Open and the Australian Open in January. Sinner has not dropped a set, and has lost 36 games all told in his five matches to date. The Court Philippe Chatrier roof was open after a cold, rainy morning and Sinner raced away to a 5-0 lead before Bublik got on the board and then threatened to break the top seed. Sinner snuffed out his challenge to win the first set with ease but ran into trouble in the next set when Bublik pulled out several trademark drop shots from his bag of tricks and worked the No.1 seed harder to stay level after 10 games. "We've played each other a couple of times already, so we already knew what to expect a little bit. But, in other aspects, you never know how he is going to play," Sinner said. An untimely dip allowed Sinner to pounce and the three-time grand slam champion broke before holding comfortably to stop any chance of a comeback from the world No.62 and move two sets ahead. The one-way traffic resumed in the third set. Bublik hit a failed underarm serve while trying to avoid going a double break down, before Sinner tightened his grip to seal the win and book a semi-final against either Alexander Zverev or Novak Djokovic. World number one Jannik Sinner marched on in his relentless pursuit of a first French Open title with a typically efficient win over Kazakh showman Alexander Bublik to reach the semi-finals. King of he drop shot Bublik had put out two top-10 seeds en route to the last eight – Australia's Alex de Minaur and Britain's Jack Draper – but Sinner ensured no repeat with a comprehensive 6-1 7-5 6-0 victory on Wednesday. The near-flawless victory, in just 1 hour, 49 minutes, ensured Sinner became the first Italian man to play in six grand slam semi-finals and extended his winning run at the majors to 19 matches, after his triumphs at last year's US Open and the Australian Open in January. Sinner has not dropped a set, and has lost 36 games all told in his five matches to date. The Court Philippe Chatrier roof was open after a cold, rainy morning and Sinner raced away to a 5-0 lead before Bublik got on the board and then threatened to break the top seed. Sinner snuffed out his challenge to win the first set with ease but ran into trouble in the next set when Bublik pulled out several trademark drop shots from his bag of tricks and worked the No.1 seed harder to stay level after 10 games. "We've played each other a couple of times already, so we already knew what to expect a little bit. But, in other aspects, you never know how he is going to play," Sinner said. An untimely dip allowed Sinner to pounce and the three-time grand slam champion broke before holding comfortably to stop any chance of a comeback from the world No.62 and move two sets ahead. The one-way traffic resumed in the third set. Bublik hit a failed underarm serve while trying to avoid going a double break down, before Sinner tightened his grip to seal the win and book a semi-final against either Alexander Zverev or Novak Djokovic. World number one Jannik Sinner marched on in his relentless pursuit of a first French Open title with a typically efficient win over Kazakh showman Alexander Bublik to reach the semi-finals. King of he drop shot Bublik had put out two top-10 seeds en route to the last eight – Australia's Alex de Minaur and Britain's Jack Draper – but Sinner ensured no repeat with a comprehensive 6-1 7-5 6-0 victory on Wednesday. The near-flawless victory, in just 1 hour, 49 minutes, ensured Sinner became the first Italian man to play in six grand slam semi-finals and extended his winning run at the majors to 19 matches, after his triumphs at last year's US Open and the Australian Open in January. Sinner has not dropped a set, and has lost 36 games all told in his five matches to date. The Court Philippe Chatrier roof was open after a cold, rainy morning and Sinner raced away to a 5-0 lead before Bublik got on the board and then threatened to break the top seed. Sinner snuffed out his challenge to win the first set with ease but ran into trouble in the next set when Bublik pulled out several trademark drop shots from his bag of tricks and worked the No.1 seed harder to stay level after 10 games. "We've played each other a couple of times already, so we already knew what to expect a little bit. But, in other aspects, you never know how he is going to play," Sinner said. An untimely dip allowed Sinner to pounce and the three-time grand slam champion broke before holding comfortably to stop any chance of a comeback from the world No.62 and move two sets ahead. The one-way traffic resumed in the third set. Bublik hit a failed underarm serve while trying to avoid going a double break down, before Sinner tightened his grip to seal the win and book a semi-final against either Alexander Zverev or Novak Djokovic. World number one Jannik Sinner marched on in his relentless pursuit of a first French Open title with a typically efficient win over Kazakh showman Alexander Bublik to reach the semi-finals. King of he drop shot Bublik had put out two top-10 seeds en route to the last eight – Australia's Alex de Minaur and Britain's Jack Draper – but Sinner ensured no repeat with a comprehensive 6-1 7-5 6-0 victory on Wednesday. The near-flawless victory, in just 1 hour, 49 minutes, ensured Sinner became the first Italian man to play in six grand slam semi-finals and extended his winning run at the majors to 19 matches, after his triumphs at last year's US Open and the Australian Open in January. Sinner has not dropped a set, and has lost 36 games all told in his five matches to date. The Court Philippe Chatrier roof was open after a cold, rainy morning and Sinner raced away to a 5-0 lead before Bublik got on the board and then threatened to break the top seed. Sinner snuffed out his challenge to win the first set with ease but ran into trouble in the next set when Bublik pulled out several trademark drop shots from his bag of tricks and worked the No.1 seed harder to stay level after 10 games. "We've played each other a couple of times already, so we already knew what to expect a little bit. But, in other aspects, you never know how he is going to play," Sinner said. An untimely dip allowed Sinner to pounce and the three-time grand slam champion broke before holding comfortably to stop any chance of a comeback from the world No.62 and move two sets ahead. The one-way traffic resumed in the third set. Bublik hit a failed underarm serve while trying to avoid going a double break down, before Sinner tightened his grip to seal the win and book a semi-final against either Alexander Zverev or Novak Djokovic.
