Russia’s Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and world No. 85 Tamara Zidansek both qualified for their maiden grand slam semi-finals after winning their latest matches at the French Open.
Pavlyuchenkova made the final four of a major at the 52nd attempt with a three-set win over doubles partner Elena Rybakina, while Zidansek became the first Slovenian woman to reach the semi-finals of a grand slam when she beat Spain’s Paula Badosa 7-5 4-6 8-6.
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Heading into the quarterfinals at Roland Garros, the women’s draw looked like nothing we’d ever seen before. The withdrawals of Naomi Osaka and Ash Barty, the exit of Serena Williams and the fact Simona Halep didn’t make the trip to Paris because of injury meant the sport’s biggest names were missing from the business end of the tournament.
Six of the eight quarterfinalists were in that stage of a major for the first time and only one of those eight — Iga Swiatek, the 2020 French Open champion — had played in a grand slam semi-final.
Veteran New York Times sports reporter Christopher Clarey summed up the situation on Twitter.
Swiatek takes on Greece’s Maria Sakkari in tomorrow’s quarterfinals, while teenage sensation Coco Gauff faces Barbola Krejcikova.
Pavlyuchenkova, the world No. 32, beat Rybakina 6-7 (2-7) 6-2 9-7 and will play Zidansek for a place in the final.
“There are so many emotions to reach a grand slam semi-final for the first time,” said 29-year-old Pavlyunchenkova, who had fallen at the quarter-final stage at the majors on six previous occasions since her 2007 debut.
She added: “It’s tough to play against your friend.
“I always had the tennis. Mentally I’m probably more solid now. Just trying to play smarter tennis. I’m working harder.”
Rybakina, who had knocked out Serena Williams in the previous round, raced into a 4-1 lead in the opener against a player who had also made the quarter-finals in Paris in 2011.
Pavlyuchenkova broke back in the seventh game before the Russian-born Kazakh raced confidently through the tie-break.
The Russian levelled the tie courtesy of breaks in the sixth and eighth games of the second set.
In a tense decider, there were four breaks in the first six games before Rybakina cracked in the 16th game, going down tamely on her sixth double fault.
Meanwhile, Zidansek was over the moon, having never gone beyond the second round of a major before this year’s French Open.
“I’m really, really happy to be in the semi-finals,” she said.
Zidansek recovered from 3-0 and a double break down in the first set and then saved three break points at 6-6 in the decider before taking her second match point against the in-form Badosa, the 33rd seed who has won the most clay court matches (17) on the WTA tour this season.
“I knew before the match it was going to be a tough battle,” added Zidansek, 23. “In the third set I managed to get into my groove and I started feeling better and better, and I was fighting really well.”
With AFP
