PARIS: Aryna Sabalenka eyes a place in a seventh consecutive Grand Slam semifinal when she takes on Russian teenager Mirra Andreeva at the French Open on Wednesday, with the schedule diminished following the withdrawal of Novak Djokovic.
The other two singles quarter-finals on Court Philippe Chatrier see Elena Rybakina face Jasmine Paolini and Alexander Zverev play Alex de Minaur in the night session.
World number two Sabalenka, who is still on course to meet rival Iga Swiatek in Saturday’s final, has not failed to reach a Slam semifinal since lifting her first major title at last year’s Australian Open.
“When you finally get there, to your goal, it actually gives you so much confidence in yourself,” the Belarusian said.
Sabalenka has powered through the draw so far without dropping a set, including a 6-1, 6-2 dismantling of Andreeva’s older sister Erika in the first round.
However, 17-year-old Mirra, the youngest woman to reach the quarter-finals since 2005, could prove a tougher nut to crack despite having failed to win a set against Sabalenka in two previous meetings.
“Of course, we will add a few adjustments,” she said. “We will change something, because the way I played last two times didn’t work.
“I don’t have anything in my head, so I hope my coach will help me with it.”
The winner will play either former Wimbledon champion Rybakina or Italian 12th seed Paolini for a spot in the final.
Rybakina will be a strong favorite to progress, but the 28-year-old Paolini will be full of confidence after an excellent year which has seen her fly up the rankings.
“Before was, like, ‘I cannot win these matches’. I have to, I don’t know, do a miracle,” Paolini said after beating Elina Avanesyan to reach her first Grand Slam quarter-final.
“But now I step on court, and I say, ‘Okay, I can have my chance’. I have to play well, of course, but I have chances.”
Djokovic had been due to face Casper Ruud in a repeat of last year’s final, but the 24-time Grand Slam champion’s title defense was abruptly ended by a knee injury he suffered during his dramatic last-16 victory over Francisco Cerundolo.
Media reports suggested Djokovic was set to undergo surgery, which would put his participation at Wimbledon and potentially the Paris Olympics in doubt.
Jannik Sinner will now usurp Djokovic as world number one next week and the Italian goes up against Carlos Alcaraz in Friday’s men’s semifinals.
Zverev and De Minaur, playing in only his second Slam quarter-final, will face off for the remaining last-four spot against Ruud.
German fourth seed Zverev will be targeting a fourth straight Roland Garros semifinal after making the last eight for the sixth time in seven years.
He needed five sets to beat Tallon Griekspoor in the third round, before fighting back to defeat Holger Rune in another decider in a last-16 tie which finished at 1:40 am local time — the second-latest finish in French Open history.
“I’ve played a total of eight-and-a-half hours over the last three days so I need to recover,” said Zverev.
“I need to do everything possible to be ready for the quarter-final match.”
Zverev is playing under the shadow of an ongoing trial in Berlin over allegations of assaulting an ex-girlfriend.
Australian De Minaur, seeded 11th, had never even got past the second round in Paris before this year, winning just three of 10 matches.
“It’s one of my best Slam results. Looks like I’ve converted myself into a clay specialist,” De Minaur said.
There will be a first-time French Open men’s champion on Sunday, with Ruud the only man left in the draw who has previously reached the final.
Sabalenka, Zverev eye French Open semis after Djokovic withdrawal
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Sabalenka, Zverev eye French Open semis after Djokovic withdrawal
- “When you finally get there, to your goal, it actually gives you so much confidence in yourself,” the Belarusian said
- Zverev and De Minaur, playing in only his second Slam quarter-final, will face off for the remaining last-four spot against Ruud
Medvedev continues march towards landmark title, but faces top seed Auger-Aliassime in Friday’s final-four
- Daniil Medvedev, 2023 Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships winner, has 22 career titles but all in different cities; the No. 3 seed is aiming to break that run this week
- Top seed Felix Auger-Aliassime is just two wins away from avenging last year’s final defeat after hitting 16 aces to overcome No. 8 seed Jiri Lehecka in straight sets
DUBAI: Daniil Medvedev is a familiar figure chasing an unfamiliar milestone at this week’s Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships. The former World No. 1 is making his sixth appearance in the emirate, has 22 titles to his name, and a career built on consistency at the highest level. Yet he has never won an individual tournament twice.
That anomaly edged closer to ending on Thursday as the 30-year-old, attempting to repeat his 2023 title win, progressed to the semi-finals with remarkable ease. The No3 seed needed just 57 minutes to see off American Jenson Brooksby in straight sets 6-2, 6-1 in what will go down as one of the tournament’s most one-sided quarterfinals in recent memory.
Brooksby, ranked World No. 49, looked static at times as the former US Open champion overpowered him with raking forehands from the baseline and booming backhands that appeared laser-like in precision. It was only the second time the two have met, yet the first since Miami nearly four years ago when Medvedev also progressed in straight sets.
In Dubai, under a blazing afternoon sun on Centre Court, a pair of breaks saw the Russian close out the first set inside half-an-hour and after breaking again immediately in the second, he swept to victory without facing a single break point.
“I’m really happy with my level and feel I’m getting better and better every match,” said Medvedev, who will now compete in his 53rd hard-court semi-final – a record unmatched by any active player aside from another anomalous achiever, Novak Djokovic. “I feel like I play well in Dubai. I remember making semis one time here when, a little bit like Jenson today, I was not serving too well and had an issue with my shoulder. But I like to play here, I like the court, it plays pretty fast, which is not so common on the Tour right now, so it feels great and I’m looking forward to the semis.”
A second title of the season, to add to his Brisbane crown, is within reach, but more importantly perhaps is a second title in Dubai and the chance to finally break his run of never having successfully defended a trophy, despite the pile he has accumulated. Next in his path, however, is top seed Felix Auger-Aliassime, who was pushed to a second-set tiebreak before progressing past No. 8 seed Jiri Lehecka 6-3, 7-6 (2) with a pair of aces.
Hitting 16 aces in total, winning 83 per cent of points on his first serve, and facing – and saving – only two breakpoints throughout the match, the Canadian can now look forward to a third consecutive semi-final after reaching finals in Montpellier and Rotterdam already this month.
The 25-year-old stands just two wins away from avenging last year’s final defeat here to Stefanos Tsitsipas.
“It was difficult with the shade and the wind at the start of the match, but I think the second set was a very high level; Jiri stayed very tough,” he said. “He served great and I had to dig deep in that tiebreak to stay sharp, stay precise, and then, you know, be clinical.”
Auger-Aliassime has faced Medvedev nine times and, despite holding a 2-7 record, he has not lost since the 2024 Australian Open. That said, having spent some of the off-season training together, he knows very well what he is likely to face on Friday night.
“He's gotten the better of me many times,” said Auger-Aliassime. “You know, he was No. 1 in the world, a Grand Slam champion, it's not by accident. He's one of the greatest players of our generation. At times he never misses, so I'm going to need to try to find a way to make him miss a few balls…
“We both live in Monaco and trained together there. I felt that he was playing really well in the off-season, and I told my coach he’s going to have a great year. Maybe he didn’t get the results exactly that he wanted, but he’s here and we’re both in the semi-finals, playing good tennis. He’s yet to drop a set this week too, so it’s going to be tough.”
