Tantalising Świątek-Sabalenka final in the offing?

New York Times

2 days ago

Follow live coverage of the fourth round at Roland Garros, after Frances Tiafoe joins Tommy Paul in the last eight Getty Images
The fourth round of the 2025 French Open is in full swing with two American stars into the quarterfinals at Roland Garros in Paris.
Carlos Alcaraz (2) beat Ben Shelton in four sets, but Frances Tiafoe (15) has joined fellow American Tommy Paul (12) in the quarters.
Lorenzo Musetti (8) and Holger Rune (10) are on Philippe-Chatrier for the night session, and it's Aryna Sabalenka (1) vs. Zheng Qinwen (8) and Iga Świątek (5) vs. Elina Svitolina (13) in the women's singles last eight after their wins today. Watch: TNT, truTV, Tennis Channel, Max (U.S.); TNT (UK)
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I know we've been burned with this kind of countdown already for a potential Świątek match this tournament, but... we're now just a couple of matches away from an Iga-Sabalenka semifinal.
The world No. 1 Sabalenka has just beaten Amanda Anisimova 7-5, 6-3 and is into the quarters to face Zheng Qinwen.
Swiatek, meanwhile, will face Elina Svitolina in the last eight. Win that, and if Sabalenka can do likewise against Zheng then a semifinal between the dominant WTA players of the last few years awaits.
Remarkably, it would be only their second ever meeting at a major and first anywhere since a semifinal in Cincinnati last August.
The third round concludes with four matches on Monday.
Top seeds Mate Pavic/Marcelo Arévalo face Édouard Roger-Vasselin/Hugo Nys, with Andrea Vavassori/Simone Bolelli (4) up against John Peers/Matthew Ebden (15).
Then, two all-British pairs are in action: Neal Skupski/Joe Salisbury (8) vs. Nuno Borges/Arthur Rinderknech, plus Julian Cash/Lloyd Glasspool clashing with Luke Johnson/Sander Arends. Getty Images
FINAL: Sabalenka 7-5, 6-3 Anisimova
That's it! Amanda Anisimova, the American and 16th seed, held off the top seed for a little while in a marathon eighth game of the set, saving six match points.
But Sabalenka held her serve in the next game to take the match in straight sets. Getty Images
Shelton 6-7(8), *0-1 Alcaraz
Alcaraz doesn't get his first serve in play, costing him again. Ben Shelton's sixth break point of this game alone. But he retreats deep behind the baseline, a little passive and conservative perhaps. Deuce again.
Then Alcaraz comes into the net and whips it away for advantage, and takes it.
Bitter taste for Shelton. Getty Images
Shelton 6-7(8), *0-0 Alcaraz
At 30-all, Alcaraz looks to have stretched and put the ball back onto Shelton's side of the court with a phenomenal shot.
Did he let go of the racket before hitting it? Alcaraz, incredibly sportingly, gives the point to Shelton to prevent an awkward decision for the umpire.
And it's not any point, it's break point! 30-40... but he rescues it to deuce with a big serve. Another advantage Shelton, another saved with a big serve Shelton can't return effectively.
A third break point, and Shelton goes long! Deuce again, fourth advantage to Shelton. It will feel like such a momentum-killer if he can't secure the break here.
Oh dear, a tired aerial flicked recovery shot from Shelton just dies and plops into the net. Fifth advantage, and Alcaraz flies into a high volley at the net, puts it away a little recklessly and it just smudges the line.
Deuce and we're nearly up to 10 minutes in the first game of this second set. Gorgeous drop shot from Alcaraz again, his first game point and now Shelton saves it with a couple of world-class strokes! Getty Images
That may have been Ben Shelton's best chance at the match. Three set points.
He might go to sleep thinking about not hitting a first serve out wide at 6-5 to open up the court.
He has his reasons surely, but to play for 70 minutes and be a point away three times and have nothing to show for it — that's a big hole to climb out of mentally. Getty Images
Sabalenka 7-5, 5-2* Anisimova
Break point and match point for top seed Aryna Sabalenka against American Amanda Anisimova (16) on Suzanne-Lenglen.
Anisimova saves it, deuce, before Sabalenka goes long, advantage Anisimova... Getty Images
Shelton 6-7(8) 0-0 Alcaraz
Oh, that's brilliant, a fearsome forehand into the corner that saw Shelton's scooped recovery into the net.
Alcaraz pumps his fist and shouts with elation. Getty Images
Shelton 6-6 (8-9*) Alcaraz
Shelton hits the line and it's 7-6 for a third set point. Alcaraz chunters unhappily to his box.
Both players grunting with exertion now, loudly and a little performatively.
Alcaraz comes to the net and it's an awkward low return from Shelton but his soft hands see him drop-volley it gently the other side of the net.
Now Alcaraz takes set point at 8-7 and he roars approvingly. But Shelton with two smash volleys at the net, the first of which is brilliantly returned by Alcaraz, not many players in world tennis who could do that, the second put away.
Strange mistake from Shelton, 9-8 Alcaraz and a second set point, this time on his serve...
Shelton 6-6 (6-6*) Alcaraz
Ace from Alcaraz to start and from a perilous position at 4-1 down, the Spaniard is now within a point. Eesh, bizarre miscue as the ball hits the edge of his racket and balloons high into the Parisian sky. 5-3 Shelton.
What a point that is! Point of the match, definitely. Maybe even point of the tournament so far.
Alcaraz retrieves the serve, Shelton puts him in the corner, Alcaraz retrieves the drop shot brilliantly and goes down the line, Shelton somehow gets there and flips it back to him behind the back but Alcaraz's volley at the net lands on the line as Shelton falls on his back to watch it just about kiss the line.
Shelton smiles wryly, Alcaraz gives his opponent a tiny nod. 5-4, then two set points to Shelton at 6-4. Alcaraz saves one for 6-5... Body serve is out, second serve is well returned, and Shelton nets! 6-6! Getty Images
Shelton 6-6 (*4-2) Alcaraz
Mini-break to Shelton at 2-0 up, before Alcaraz volleys it away powerfully. A couple of overhand smashes take Shelton to 3-1 and he scrunches up his face, nodding to his box.
USWNT soccer star Trinity Rodman, his girlfriend, is watching on approvingly.
Alcaraz errs and it's 4-1, eliciting a roar from Ben Shelton. Serve over to Carlos Alcaraz, and he wins a crucial point to make 4-2 at the changeover.
Shelton 6-6 (0-0*) Alcaraz
Yep, Carlos Alcaraz with a blinder of a game and we are 6-6 in the first set, into a tiebreak.
Let's go.
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Top-tier tennis in the City of Light. Getty Images
It was nice to see the two players battling it out have a polite, friendly little chat at the net between games earlier in the set.
Carlos Alcaraz was saying he heard something and thought Ben Shelton's serve might have clipped the net.
Shelton sportingly offered to replay the point, to which Alcaraz smiled and thanked him but said it was fine and he was happy to move on.
We like to see it. Getty Images
These two are not good friends but they like each other a lot.
They played an exhibition at Madison Square Garden together last year. They both like to put on a show, sometimes to their detriment.
It's not yet clear Carlos is locked into this match the way he is when he's playing one of his near-equals.
He's in a dangerous part of the set, when a lapse has made his job difficult in the past. Getty Images
It's currently 5-5 in the first set between Ben Shelton and Carlos Alcaraz.
Only one break point so far, to Alcaraz, but it was saved.
Careering towards a fascinating tiebreak on the show court. Getty Images
A humdinger of a first set on Lenglen between Sabalenka and Anisimova which the world No. 1 edges 7-5.
Sabalenka had a set point on her serve at 5-3, but couldn't take it, and was then down two break points at 5-5.
At that point, as so often happens with the best players, she locked in: holding serve and then pinching the set in the next game.
The weight of shot both players produce is staggering, but the greater variety Sabalenka possesses with her far superior drop shot and net game is just giving her the edge so far. Getty Images
There's your top seed.
Sabalenka broke Amanda Anisimova of the United States in the final game of their first set to take it 7-5.
Into the second we go. Anisimova needs to go the distance to reach the last eight.
All four third-round men's doubles matches today have been completed.
As aforementioned, Horacio Zeballos/Marcel Granollers (5) steamrollered American Austin Krajicek and Santiago González 6-2, 6-1.
While second seeds Henry Patten/Harri Heliövaara beat Rohan Bopanna/Adam Pavlásek 6-2, 7-6(5).
Ninth seeds Evan King/Christian Harrison got past Yuki Bhambri/Robert Galloway 6-4, 6-4, while Orlando Luz/Ivan Dodig eliminated John-Patrick Smith/Fernando Romboli thanks to a 4-6, 7-6(5), 6-4 win.