The China Mail - Sabalenka downs Swiatek as Boisson eyes 'dream' French Open final

The Belarusian snapped Swiatek's French Open winning streak at 26 matches with a 7-6 (7/1), 4-6, 6-0 success to reach her first final in the clay-court Grand Slam.

"Iga is the toughest opponent, especially on the clay and at Roland Garros," said Sabalenka after becoming the first player to defeat Swiatek in a deciding set at the French Open.

"I'm proud that I was able to get this win."

World number two Gauff and 361st-ranked wildcard Boisson meet in the second semi-final on Court Philippe Chatrier.

Sabalenka edged a topsy-turvy first set that featured eight breaks of serve in a tie-break, before Swiatek hit back to level the match.

The finale turned out to be a complete anti-climax, as Swiatek made 12 unforced errors in the third set and won only six points.

"I'm glad that I found my serve. It was a bit easier with the serve," added the 27-year-old Sabalenka. "What can I say, 6-0 -- it couldn't be much more perfect than that!"

Sabalenka is targeting a fourth Grand Slam title and first not on hard courts, after winning last year's US Open and the Australian Open back-to-back in 2023 and 2024.

Swiatek has still not reached a WTA final since lifting the Coupe Suzanne Lenglen 12 months ago.

She showed signs of a revival on the Paris clay where she has dominated since winning as a teenager in 2020, but her game deserted her in the deciding set as she slipped to only the third French Open defeat of her career.

Sabalenka has now won their last two meetings, and five of 13 in total.

This was the first time the pair, the dominant players in women's tennis of the past few years, have gone head-to-head at a Grand Slam tournament since Swiatek's win in the 2022 US Open semi-finals en route to the title.

Sabalenka will be a strong favourite to lift the trophy when she takes on either Gauff, whom she lost to in the 2023 US Open final, or Boisson.

Swiatek, who was bidding to become the first woman to win four successive French Opens in over a century, will drop to seventh in the world rankings next week.

- Boisson gunning for 'dream' -

Boisson is still dreaming of an improbable title on her Grand Slam debut after a memorable quarter-final triumph over rising Russian star Mirra Andreeva.

The 22-year-old Boisson missed out on making her first Roland Garros appearance last year after suffering a knee injury shortly before the tournament, but has more than made up for lost time with a stunning run through the draw.

She had never played a top-50 opponent before this week, but has now beaten two in the top 10 in third-ranked Jessica Pegula and world number six Andreeva to set up her last-four clash with Gauff.

"I think every kid who plays tennis has the dream to win a Slam. More for French players to win Roland Garros, for sure," said Boisson.

"So, yeah, it's a dream. For sure I will go for the dream, because my dream is to win it, not to be in the semi-final."

Andreeva was overwhelmed by the atmosphere on Court Philippe Chatrier as she lost the last six games of her quarter-final against Boisson.

But Gauff has a plan to try and block out the noise from the partisan home crowd.

"I think there are two ways I have done it in the past. Either, A: just pretend they're cheering for you, and B: just using it and not letting that get to you," she said after defeating Australian Open champion Madison Keys in the last eight.

The American is bidding to reach her second French Open final after a demoralising defeat by Swiatek in the 2022 showpiece.

C.Fong--ThChM