Seventeen-year-old Mirra Andreeva clinched a stunning victory as she reached her first Grand Slam semi-final after defeating the world No 2 Aryna Sabalenka in an exhilarating quarter-final encounter at Roland Garros. Sabalenka, who was struggling with illness throughout the match, displayed immense resilience despite her physical challenges, managing to claim a hard-fought opening set that featured six breaks of serve and culminated in a tie-break.
Despite comfortably winning her previous two meetings with Andreeva, the Belarusian tennis star faced a setback as she raced into a 3-1 lead before encountering difficulties with her own serve in the opening set. After losing four consecutive games, Sabalenka called for a medical timeout and received treatment before regrouping to force a tie-break, which she eventually won.
The Australian Open champion continued to face physical challenges at the beginning of the second set, even receiving a time violation for taking too long between games. However, despite these setbacks, Andreeva persisted and managed to force a decider. The passionate exchange of breaks and the high-quality battle that unfolded between the two players enthralled fans at Court Philippe Chatrier. Ultimately, Andreeva secured a memorable victory by breaking Sabalenka in the final game, executing a memorable lob on her second match point, solidifying her place in the semi-finals.
In another thrilling quarter-final match, Jasmine Paolini secured her spot in the final four of the French Open for the first time by defeating the fourth seed, Elena Rybakina, in an epic battle. The 28-year-old Italian showcased remarkable determination as she resisted a fierce fightback from the former Wimbledon champion, ultimately sealing a stunning 6-2 4-6 6-4 victory and setting up a semi-final encounter with Andreeva.
During her first career Grand Slam quarter-final, Paolini delivered a confident start, cruising through the opening set. However, she faced a significant challenge as she lost four consecutive service games across the second and third sets. Despite twice breaking Rybakina in the second set, she struggled to maintain her advantage and was ultimately forced into a decider as she lost her serve once again.
The nail-biting contest between the two players continued into the third set, with both of them exchanging further breaks. Nevertheless, Paolini showcased resilience and returned to her early-match form, capitalizing on a series of errors from Rybakina to earn the decisive break in the ninth game before serving out for a remarkable victory.
World of sports 
Leave a comment