Aryna Sabalenka, the world’s No. 1 woman tennis player, advanced to the French Open semifinals on Tuesday by defeating Qinwen Zheng in straight sets. Sabalenka clinched the match with a 7-6, 6-3 victory, overcoming a tough challenge from Zheng, who forced a first-set tiebreak.
In spite of Zheng’s grit, Sabalenka pulled through the first set tiebreak and controlled the second set. Zheng’s 31 unforced errors contributed significantly to Sabalenka’s victory, while Sabalenka made only 18 unforced errors herself. This is the second French Open semifinal appearance for Sabalenka, having reached the semifinals earlier in 2023, where she was defeated by Karolína Muchová.
That’s how you save a set point!#RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/pMRWvoQbgr
— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) June 3, 2025
Despite being ranked No. 1, she has yet to win her first French Open. Her best performances at Roland Garros are reaching the 2023 semifinals and the 2024 quarterfinals, demonstrating consistent improvement but no title yet.
Sabalenka Faces Squeaky Tussle in French Open Semis
Sabalenka’s path gets more challenging as she readies to play Iga Swiatek in the semifinals. Swiatek keeps proving her supremacy at the French Open after beating Elina Svitolina 6-1, 7-5 on the same day. Swiatek’s opening set was conclusive, but Svitolina resisted in the second, even assuming a temporary lead. Swiatek rallied to tie at 5-5 and won the set with an ace, booking a ticket to the semifinals.
A dominant display from the world No.1 😎
Catch up on the highlights from Sabalenka’s quarterfinal victory over Zheng. #RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/anAur86csK
— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) June 3, 2025
This is Swiatek’s fifth semifinal, and she has won the tournament each time she made it this far. The French Open is Swiatek’s best Grand Slam, the only one she has won more than once. Holding an 8-4 head-to-head record over Sabalenka, Swiatek heads into the next match as the favorite.
Thursday’s semifinal showdown between Swiatek and Sabalenka is set to be one of the tournament’s most captivating matches, with two of the world’s top players facing off on Roland Garros’ clay courts.
