(Paris) The young Russian Mirra Andreeva achieved the feat Wednesday at Roland-Garros of eliminating world No.2 Aryna Sabalenka, visibly ill, 6-7 (5/7), 6-4, 6-4, qualifying for the semi-final of a Grand Slam for the first time.
The 17-year-old, ranked 38th in the world and revealed barely a year ago, will face Italian Jasmine Paolini for a place in the final. A semi-finalist last season, Sabalenka appeared in great difficulty throughout the game, often complaining of stomach pains.
Twice, the Belarusian, double winner of the Australian Open, had to call on doctors to obtain pills. And this particularly in the first round where she quickly took the lead, breaking at 2-0.
Her discomfort, visible on the court through her numerous grimaces and glances thrown at her clan, benefited Andreeva, unimpressed by the stakes. She won four games in a row before pushing the world No.2 to win in a tiebreaker.
Subsequently, although broken at the start of the second round, she did not let herself be left behind and took the lead to win the second round before definitively validating her feat in the last one, after 2 hours 29 of the game and after having been encouraged throughout by her coach, the Spaniard Conchita Martinez.
“I had a game plan, but I forgot it when I arrived on the court, so I did as I felt,” said the young Russian before leaving the Philippe-Chatrier court, even if she “ still need (s)a coach because sometimes, I still remember certain things that she says to me”.
She, who had beaten players in the top 10 for the first time this year, the Tunisian Ons Jabeur and the Czech Marketa Vondrousova, finally achieved her greatest feat to date by managing to bring down one of the big favorites of the tournament at after his second match point.
“At the moment I don’t even remember the score… I played the second match point as if I had to save a break point, so as not to think about it.”
This performance confirms a rise in power for the revelation of the Masters 1000 in Madrid in 2023 – she had passed three rounds before being eliminated by Sabalenka – who had since managed to reach the round of 16 at Wimbledon and the Australian Open .
In the semi-final, she will face another surprise, the Italian Jasmine Paolini (15th), who defeated Kazakh No.4 Elena Rybakina.
“I think it will be a bit of the same type of match as today, I will have to play with the same state of mind,” concluded Andreeva, all smiles.
Italian Jasmine Paolini, ranked 15th in the world, created a surprise by beating Kazakh Elena Rybakina (4th) 6-2, 4-6, 6-4 on Wednesday at Roland-Garros and thus reached the last four of a Grand Slam tournament for the first time.
“It’s unbelievable… the match was very difficult and I was too tense in the second set, but I stayed in the match and here I am! », Launched in her hoarse voice the 28-year-old player who had never before made it past the round of 16 at a Grand Slam (reached in Australia this year). At Roland Garros, she had never made it past the second round.
Paolini, who returned 21 centimeters to her opponent, will face Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka (2nd) or Russian Mirra Andreeva (38th) on Thursday for a place in the final.
But on Wednesday, helped it is true by the avalanche of direct errors committed by her placid opponent (48 in total against 22 for Paolini), the twirling Italian was able to display her broad smile.
Against all expectations, Paolini took the powerful Rybakina into play from the outset, whose service is one of the main weapons.
But this weapon was out of whack on Wednesday as Rybakina still had to defend two break points in her second service game, which she ended up winning.
And on the contrary, it was Paolini (1.63 m) who showed herself to be sovereign in her fielding, winning her first three service games (with an ace to boot) and even leaving only one point to his opponent who multiplied the unforced errors (16 out of 49 points played in total in the first round, or a third).
In the second set, again, Paolini, very aggressive, quickly achieved the break (2-1). But this time, Rybakina immediately picked up (2-2).
New exchange of services from 3-3 to 4-4 as the game became tense. And Rybakina equalized at one set all by breaking in the final game of the set while Paolini’s success declined.
“At that moment we had to stay in the match and forget about that second set. Then I remembered that she was a great champion and that it could happen,” commented Paolini.
And once again, it was she who started the decisive set best with another break, immediately erased, then a second, again erased. The players remained neck and neck until 4-4. The Italian then took Rybakina’s serve for the seventh time and concluded on her serve.
“It was the first time I played on this magnificent court (Philippe-Chatrier). It’s without a doubt one of the most beautiful in the world,” she said before returning to the locker room.
Coco Gauff officially reached the final four in singles and doubles at the French Open tennis tournament on Wednesday.
Gauff, the reigning U.S. Open singles champion, and playing partner Katerina Siniakova defeated Miyu Kato and Nadiia Kichenok 6-0, 6-2 in the quarterfinals of the women’s doubles tournament.
Gauff and Siniakova have still not conceded a set in this tournament, and they will meet in the semi-finals with the Americans Caroline Dolehide and Desirae Krawczyk on Friday.
This will be Gauff’s third consecutive appearance in the women’s doubles semi-finals at Roland Garros, and she still covets a first title there. In 2022 and 2023, Jessica Pegula was Gauff’s playing partner. She did not participate in the French Open in 2024.
Siniakova, who is originally from the Czech Republic, completed a career Grand Slam in women’s doubles with playing partner Barbora Krejcikova.
Gauff defeated Tunisian Ons Jabeur in three sets in the quarterfinals of the singles tournament on Tuesday, and the 20-year-old American will meet world No. 1 Iga Swiatek in the semifinals on Thursday.
