The French Open women’s singles tournament will feature two first-time Grand Slam semi-finalists as Coco Gauff and Martina Trevisan are set to square off in Paris.
The 18-year-old Gauff overcame fellow American Sloane Stephens in straight sets to book her first trip to a Grand Slam final four, while Trevisan outlasted US Open finalist Leylah Fernandez in three sets.
Meanwhile, world No. 1 and reigning French Open champion Iga Swiatek survived a scare against Chinese teenager Zheng Qinwen to keep her amazing winning streak alive.
Read on as SBOTOP shares the latest news, updates, and results at Roland Garros.
Coco Gauff going to her first Grand Slam semi-final
Coco Gauff has reached the first Grand Slam semi-final of her young career as she defeated fellow American Sloane Stephens 7-5 6-2 in the French Open quarter-finals.
The 18-year-old Gauff won just 59 per cent of first-serve points, but she won an impressive 78 per cent of second-serve points while Stephens won just 17 per cent. Gauff also converted six of 10 break point opportunities and has yet to drop single set in the tournament.
Gauff shared an inspirational message after achieving this career milestone.
“I believe in myself. Even last year, I was too focused on trying to fulfil other people’s expectations,” she said. “I know no matter how good or bad my career is, I know I’m a good person, so I think that’s a good message for young people. … Just know: If you love yourself, who cares what anyone else thinks?”
Gauff, who broke into the WTA Tour at just 15 years old, became the youngest qualifier to reach the main draw of Wimbledon in 2019. She went on to defeat five-time Wimbledon champion Venus Williams in the first round.
She reached the French Open quarter-finals last season – her first Grand Slam quarter-final berth – but lost out to Ons Jabeur.
Gauff will look to make more French Open 2022 highlights when she faces Martina Trevisan in the final four of this year’s tournament.
Martina Trevisan upsets US Open finalist Fernandez
Speaking of Trevisan, she defied the French Open 2022 odds by defeating US Open finalist Leylah Fernandez in three sets, 6-2 7-6(3) 6-3, to reach her first Grand Slam semi-final.
The 28-year-old Italian failed to convert match point serving at 5-4 in the second set, giving Fernandez the opening to take the set to a tiebreak, which she eventually won. But Trevisan recovered in the third set as she raced to a 5-1 lead and clinched the win.
Trevisan admitted she felt tension after failing to secure the second set, but she showed her mental strength and turned the situation around.
“I looked around me and I was in the most important court in the world. Even [if] I felt a lot of tension and I was so nervous because even my arms felt it, I was happy anyway.
“I accepted the situation, because, as I say, it was normal to feel the tension because I was playing for my semifinal, and I was in the match point. So I accepted the situation and I tried to be focused on every point. That was, I think, the most important things that I did today.”
Trevisan, who had just won her first WTA Tour title in Rabat over a week ago, is now on a 10-match winning streak. She is also just the third Italian woman to reach the French Open semi-finals in the Open Era after Francesca Schiavone (2010) and Sara Errani (2012).
Swiatek win streak up to 32 after surviving Chinese teen
Iga Swiatek is still in the running to defend her French Open title, although the World No. 1 had to work to reach the quarter-finals.
Swiatek lost the first set of her round-of-16 match against Chinese teenager Qinwen Zheng – the first set she’s dropped in this year’s tournament – in a tiebreak.
But Zheng suddenly suffered a bout of menstrual cramps, which allowed Swiatek to reclaim command as she took the next two sets en route to a 6-7(5) 6-0 6-2 victory.
“It’s just girls things, you know. The first day is always so tough and then I have to do sport and I always have so much pain in the first day. And I couldn’t go against my nature,” Zheng said.
Swiatek, who is the only top-10 seed left in the tournament, has now extended her amazing winning streak to 32 matches, the longest unbeaten run on the WTA Tour since Serena Williams won 32 in a row in 2013.
Swiatek will face American Jessica Pegula in the quarter-finals. The two have one win apiece against the other, with both of their matches to date coming on hard court.
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