Sabalenka gets revenge on Zheng to secure French Open semi final spot

World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka has powered her way into the Roland-Garros semi-finals for the second time in her career, overcoming China’s Qinwen Zheng in a hard-fought opening match on Court Philippe-Chatrier on Tuesday, with a final score of 7-6(6), 6-3. This significant victory also marks Sabalenka’s 11th Grand Slam semi-final appearance in total.

The win held an added layer of satisfaction for Sabalenka, as it offered a measure of revenge against Zheng, who had defeated her earlier this month in Rome (6-4, 6-3). However, Sabalenka maintains the upper hand in their rivalry, having previously beaten Zheng in the 2024 Australian Open final. Sabalenka's progression to the semi-finals reinforces her remarkable consistency in major tournaments, reaching this stage in nine of her last ten Grand Slams. Her exit at Roland-Garros last year, where she was defeated by young Mirra Andreeva after a grueling match, stands as an anomaly in an otherwise stellar record.

"It was a true battle and I had no idea how I could break her back and get back into the first set," Sabalenka told the crowd after the match. "I didn’t start well and I’m glad I found my rhythm and won."

Zheng leads overall, is overhauled

The No. 8 seed, Qinwen Zheng, put up a strong challenge in the opening set, breaking Sabalenka early to establish a 3-1 lead. However, the tenacious World No. 1 fought back to level the score at 4-4 before ultimately claiming the crucial tiebreak. Zheng admitted her struggles post-match: “I think my game plan went quite well, but it’s just that I got tight. I gave many easy mistake when I was leading in the first set. I was not able today to stick on to do my game plan, from the beginning until the end. Too many easy unforced errors, yeah.” In the second set, Zheng found it increasingly difficult to counter Sabalenka’s relentless intensity, particularly struggling with her own second serve, which the Belarusian consistently attacked.

Sabalenka's unwavering consistency

Sabalenka’s dominant performance in the second set saw her break Zheng’s serve three times, securing her seventh semi-final appearance on the WTA Tour this season, and her second at Roland-Garros. Her previous run in Paris in 2023 ended in a narrow and particularly tough semi-final loss to Karolína Muchová.

Looking ahead, Sabalenka expressed her unwavering ambition: “I think we’re all here for one reason. Everyone wants that beautiful trophy. I’m glad I have another opportunity, another semi-final to do better than last time. I really hope that by the end of the claycourt season I’m really proud of myself.”

Her next challenge will be a blockbuster semi-final clash against four-time French Open champion, Iga Swiatek.