Aryna Sabalenka sees off Zheng Qinwen to reach French Open semis
World number one Aryna Sabalenka recovered from a slow start to systematically dismantle Paris Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen in a 7-6(3) 6-3 victory on Tuesday that sent her into the French Open semi-finals.
Sabalenka suffered her first loss to Zheng in seven career meetings in the Rome quarter-finals last month and she went behind early in the opening set at a half-full Court Philippe Chatrier.
"It was a true battle and I had no idea how I could break her back and get back into the first set. I didn't start well and I'm glad I found my rhythm and won," said Sabalenka, who took a step closer to her maiden French Open title.
"I think we're all here for one reason. Everyone wants that beautiful trophy. I'm glad I have another opportunity, another semi-final to do better than last time.
"I really hope that by the end of the claycourt season I'm really proud of myself."
China's Zheng, bidding to emulate compatriot Li Na's 2011 triumph at Roland Garros, crushed a powerful forehand winner to break for a 2-1 lead but Sabalenka moved through the gears to level five games later and was denied on set point while up 6-5.
The 27-year-old top seed shrugged off the disappointment to glide through the tiebreak when errors crept into eighth seed Zheng's game before the players swapped breaks in a high octane second set.
A huge forehand winner put Sabalenka 5-3 up and the three-times Grand Slam champion never looked back as she set up a last-four meeting with either 13th seed Elina Svitolina or four-times champion Iga Swiatek.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Examiner
22 minutes ago
- Irish Examiner
Dave Brailsford set for reduced role at Manchester United after reshuffle
Dave Brailsford is set to reduce his role at Manchester United under a reshuffle being planned by minority owner Jim Ratcliffe. Brailsford has played a major part since Ratcliffe secured his stake in United in February 2024, stepping down as team principal of the Ineos Grenadiers cycling team to take charge of footballing operations at Old Trafford and investing considerable time and energy in driving change at the club. But after a season in which United finished 15th, their worst Premier League finish, and lost the Europa League final to Tottenham, Ratcliffe is planning a shake-up which will see Brailsford return to his role as director of sport for the wider Ineos group, as first reported by The Times. Under the plans, Jason Wilcox – currently United's technical director – will reportedly be named director of football, and former Tour de France winner and Olympic champion Geraint Thomas is set to take on a leadership role with the Grenadiers when he retires as a rider at the end of the year. Sir Dave Brailsford, left, with Jason Wilcox (Nick Potts/PA) Brailsford, 61, has overseen a major overhaul of United's operations, including a £50million redevelopment of their Carrington training ground. Ratcliffe has scaled back some of Ineos's sporting commitments, terminating its sponsorship of the New Zealand rugby team and ending his bid to win the America's Cup. However, Ratcliffe remains committed to the cycling team, who no longer hold the dominant position they did when winning the Tour de France in seven out of eight editions between 2012 and 2019. Thomas, 39, has said he will retire after the Tour of Britain in September.
Irish Independent
an hour ago
- Irish Independent
‘It had to be done' – Novak Djokovic uses drop shots into the wind to beat Alexander Zverev at French Open
Djokovic produced 35 of the delicate best from his racket in a 4-6 6-3 6-2 6-4 win, his 101st victory at Roland Garros, which kept his quest for a 25th Grand Slam title alive and earned him a semi-final with top seed Jannik Sinner. "Against the wind, especially that side where I was playing the last game, I felt the wind increased in the last few games," Djokovic told reporters. "It was almost playing against two players. I feel the ball isn't going anywhere you're hitting it. People don't see that on the TV, but on the court, you can feel it a lot. "I was just trying to mix it up. At one point, I felt like I couldn't go through him, so I tried to bring him to the net and risk it with the drop shot, serve and volley. It had to be done. "I was tense, to finish off the match, and he was playing consistent from the back of the court in the last game, wasn't making errors and was making me work." Djokovic arrived in Paris having won his 100th tour-level title in Geneva to open his account in an otherwise lacklustre year where he crashed out early in several big tournaments. He said in Madrid that he was coming to terms with a "new reality" in tennis of trying to win a match or two. "That wasn't a great feeling, but it's something I haven't experienced for many years, 20 years I've been playing. That's why I said I have to try to find a way to bounce back at the Grand Slams," he added. "It's no secret it's been like that for years but especially now it's all about Grand Slams for me, trying to raise the level and play my best tennis at these four tournaments. This is what I've been managing to do. "The win against Carlos Alcaraz in the quarter-finals of the Australian Open, the win in the quarter-finals tonight against Zverev proves to myself and others that I can still play on the highest level, and I just thrive on these occasions. ADVERTISEMENT Learn more "This is where I lock in and really give my best. So I just hope that I'll be able to physically keep up with Sinner in few days' time. It's a big challenge for me." Novak Djokovic will play World No 1 Jannik Sinner in the pick of the men's semi-finals, while Carlos Alcaraz meets in-form Lorenzo Musetti in another high-quality semi-final match on Friday. Meanwhile, Lois Boisson sent the Roland Garros faithful into a state of euphoria on Wednesday, conjuring the unimaginable as she toppled Russian wunderkind Mirra Andreeva 7-6(6) 6-3 to reach the French Open semi-finals. In her maiden Grand Slam main draw appearance, granted via a wild card, the world No. 361 became the first Frenchwoman to reach the Roland Garros last four since Marion Bartoli in 2011. Boisson will face Coco Gauff later this afternoon. Defending champion Iga Swiatek will face World No 1 Aryna Sabalenka in a blockbuster French Open semi-final today (2pm, Irish time) and their first meeting at a grand slam in almost three years. Swiatek is bidding to become the first woman in the Open era to win four titles in a row at Roland Garros and extended her winning streak at the to 26 matches by overcoming Elina Svitolina in the quarter-finals. Sabalenka is aiming to win her first French Open title and is yet to drop a set. The World No 1, who won the titles at the US Open and Australian Open, defeated Olympic champion Qinwen Zheng in the quarters. Swiatek and Sabalenka last played at a grand slam in the US Open semi-finals, with Swiatek winning in three sets on her way to lifting the title in New York. The Pole leads their overall head-to-head 8-4.
Extra.ie
4 hours ago
- Extra.ie
Ireland captaincy can drive Craig Casey's game to a new level
Craig Casey has always been an ambitious and driven character. Since he was a boy, becoming a professional rugby was his ultimate goal. He rose through the ranks of Ardscoil Ris and through the Munster and Ireland age grades. He helped the Ireland U20s to a Grand Slam in 2019 and made his senior debut for Munster a few months later. It only took 18 months for an international debut to follow – alongside Ryan Baird, from the bench, in a Six Nations clash with the Italians in Rome. Craig Casey of Munster celebrates after scoring his side's second try during the United Rugby Championship match between Connacht and Munster at Hastings Insurance MacHale Park in Castlebar, Mayo. Pic: Seb Daly/Sportsfile Casey has become a central figure at Thomond Park in recent years. He has long been the established first-choice scrum-half at Munster. Yes, time caught up with Conor Murray but Casey's compelling form had a huge amount to do with the changing of the guard. Now 26, he is primed for the next phase of a meteoric career. His promotion to the Ireland captaincy for the looming summer tour was a huge vote of confidence from the management. Of course, there is plenty of mitigation. The experience in this senior squad has been gutted due to Lions call-ups, injuries and retirements. Yet it still speaks volumes that the management turned to Casey to lead this young squad through assignments in Tblisi and Lisbon. The captaincy is something of a consolation prize for the Munster scrum-half. The knee injury he suffered during a Champions Cup pool game in December derailed his season and ultimately his Lions ambitions. Casey sat out the Six Nations and watched on as Jamison Gibson-Park, Alex Mitchell and other Test rivals pressed their claims to be included in Andy Farrell's summer plans. Even though he missed the championship, the Limerick native still watched the squad announcement with a degree of hope. He may have missed the big Six Nations audition but his form for Munster had been strong since his return from injury. And he has a lot of credit in the bank with Farrell. Craig Casey of Munster leaves the pitch on crutches after the Champions Cup Pool 3 match between Castres Olympique and Munster at Stade Pierre Fabre in Castres, France. Pic: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile Alas, he didn't make the cut. You can be sure he's high on the standby list, though. When Casey was asked about missing the cut at a sponsorship gig a few weeks later, he didn't drift into platitudes. He was gutted to miss it and and felt he was right in the mix. Casey is a confident character who has possessed had a deep-rooted self belief. It's got him this far and it will be fascinating to see how he develops with the extra responsibility of the national captaincy. This tour may have an off-Broadway feel about it, but there is plenty to be gained. Farrell will be keeping tabs on development and Paul O'Connell will have an extensive post-tour report ready for the gaffer when he's back in the day job come November. It should be no surprise that Casey got the nod to lead this youthful group. He is a player who always leads by example. He shares many traits with Peter Stringer, one his rugby idols growing up. Casey has the same lightning-quick pass and the same relentless engine. The sight of him on the field doing extras long after training is a regular sight, be it the UL campus in Limerick or Abbotstown. Farrell liked his energy and enthusiasm from the get go. This is an insatiable character who lives and breathes the game. In terms of sheer intensity, he's probably the closest thing to a Johnny Sexton in the current international setup. On the eve of his first cap in 2021, Sexton himself saw similarities with another insanely committed character. Ireland players Craig Casey and Keith Earls during the national anthem before the Autumn Nations Series match between Ireland and Argentina at Aviva Stadium in Dublin. Pic: Seb Daly/Sportsfile 'I don't think I have ever come across anyone like him,' the former Ireland captain said at the time. 'It kind of reminds me what I read about Jonny Wilkinson – that is the only person I can relate him to. It is inspiring for the rest of the group and for someone like me, at this stage in my career, I like to be last off the pitch and I am never last off the pitch with him around. He has been brilliant.' No doubt, Casey will see plenty of game-time on tour. This could be a springboard to a massive campaign next season. Gibson-Park will be returning to Ireland camp as a potential Test Lion but Casey will feel he is now reaching a level where he can genuinely begin to challenge the Leinster scrum-half for a starting spot. Now that Murray has left, he is set to become an even more important character in the Munster setup. Clayton McMillan is arriving from New Zealand with a fresh vision. The Kiwi will build things around Casey and Jack Crowley. That will be his jumping off point. For now, Casey can reflect on another big milestone in his career. Who knows, it might even become a regular gig down the line. He will be in a rare position on tour. Casey is one of the few on board who has little to prove. Every other department looks wide open. The absence of so many frontline frontrowers has created a much-needed window of opportunity to the next generation of hookers and props. It feels the Georgia game – at Mikheil Meskhi Stadium on July 5 – was organised simply to stress test some of Ireland's fledging props. We're going to find out a lot about the likes of Jack Boyle, Michael Milne, Thomas Clarkson and Paddy McCarthy in Tblisi. Lock and the backrow are brimming with ambitious players, too. Will this be the summer when Ryan Baird and Cormac Izuchukwu kick on and become proper options at international level? Ben Murphy has been winning rave reviews at Connacht all season. The young scrum-half is a perfect example of a player leaving the Leinster system and thriving at a rival province. Hopefully it will inspire a few more to make the move out west, especially with Stuart Lancaster arriving in Galway soon. Sam Prendergast, Jack Crowley and Ciaran Frawley are quality options at No10 who will all feel that the pecking order is not set in stone. Hugh Gavin, Tommy O'Brien and Shayne Bolton are a trio of backs who can do the same. It should be an exciting summer and with Casey at the helm, they have a leader who can show them the way.
