Russian teen sensation Mirra Andreeva and Italian veteran Jasmine Paolini pulled off big wins on Wednesday at Roland Garros to become part of the final four advancing to the French Open semifinals.
First, the 17-year-old Andreeva scored the biggest victory of her young career, stunning world No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka 6-7(5), 6-4, 6-4 in a back-and-forth quarterfinal thriller. The former rallied from a breakdown in the third set to topple the reigning Australian Open champion after 2 hours and 29 minutes.
However, there may have been an added advantage because her opponent, Sabalenka, looked hampered by an apparent stomach issue that required a medical timeout. Nevertheless, Andreeva stayed composed throughout the game, saying “I tried not to focus on the score” as she coolly played her way to victory, snapping Sabalenka’s 23-set Grand Slam winning streak.
Also, later in the day, 28-year-old Jasmine Paolini joined Mirra Andreeva in making her first career Grand Slam semifinal by ousting world No. 4 Elena Rybakina 6-2, 4-6, 6-4. The Italian rolled through the opening set before having to overcome a second set lapse against last year’s Wimbledon winner.
Drawing on their three-set Stuttgart meeting last month, Paolini stayed composed in the decider to fend off Rybakina’s big strikes. The victory guarantees Paolini’s debut in the WTA Top 10 next week.
Now, Mirra Andreeva, the youngest Slam semifinalist since Martina Hingis in 1997, and Jasmine Paolini have advanced to the final four at Roland Garros alongside world No. 1 Iga Swiatek and No. 3 Coco Gauff. The French Open semis have an improbable yet thrilling mix of teenage upstarts and seasoned underdogs still standing.