Iga Swiatek stayed on track to win her fourth consecutive French Open title after reaching the semi-finals, the place she is going to meet outdated adversary Aryna Sabalenka.
Swiatek earned her twenty sixth victory in a row at Roland Garros after a 6-1 7-5 triumph towards No 13 seed Elina Svitolina of Ukraine.
World No 1 Sabalenka is having fun with her forty first week on the prime of the rankings and ousted reigning Olympic champion Qinwen Zheng 7-6 (7-3) 6-3 of their quarter-final.
Swiatek, who has spent 125 weeks at world No 1, will now face the present world No 1 within the remaining 4 on Thursday.
“I should have had better intensity in the beginning of the second set,” Swiatek mentioned in a post-match interview. “After I noticed my depth go low I bought it excessive once more. I’m comfortable I did it on the finish of the set.
“Against Aryna it is always a challenge. She has a game for every surface. I have to do the work, be brave with my shots and go for it. She is having a great season.”
“I will not lie. It will be a tough match but am happy for the challenge,” she added.
Sabalenka, wanting so as to add a Roland Garros to her two Australian and one US Open crowns, gained a hard-fought, close to two-hour contest.
Zheng, the eighth seed from China, was the final lady to win a title right here having claimed Olympic gold in August.
She went a break up within the first set and gave Sabalenka her greatest check of the match up to now, however was unable to stop her from making the final 4 for the second time in three years.
The 27-year-old mentioned: “That was a true battle. Honestly I have no idea how I was able to break her back and get back in the first set.
“I used to be simply making an attempt to combat and I used to be simply making an attempt to place as many balls as I may again in. I did not begin effectively however I am actually glad I discovered my rhythm and gained this match. It was a troublesome one.”
Zheng had defeated Sabalenka in Rome last month, but that probably did the Belarusian a favour.
“I’ve to say that within the final match I used to be fairly exhausted,” she added.
“Actually, I used to be really glad that I misplaced that match as a result of I wanted a bit break earlier than Roland Garros.
“I was just more fresh today and I was ready to battle, to fight and to leave everything that I have on court to get this win.”
Swiatek, who accepted a one-month doping ban late final yr, is trying to turn into the primary lady within the skilled period since 1968 to win 4 consecutive titles in Paris.
She leads the general head-to-head 8-4 towards Sabalenka, and the clay-court head-to-head 5-1.
Sabalenka, although, beat Swiatek 6-3 6-3 of their most up-to-date assembly, on the arduous courts of Cincinnati final yr.
This will likely be their first-ever assembly at Roland Garros.
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