World number one-ranked Iga Swiatek kept her French Open title defense on track with a 6-4, 6-2 victory over Coco Gauff to reach the semifinals on Wednesday.
In a rematch of last year’s final, Swiatek recorded another straight-sets win over the American and next Thursday will face Beatriz Haddad Maia as she chases her third Grand Slam trophy on clay.
Gauff, 19, fell to 0-7 against Swiatek, and the Floridian is yet to take a set against her. Swiatek, a 22-year-old from Poland, won 6-1, 6-3 in last year’s final.
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Poland’s Iga Swiatek clenches her fist after scoring a point against Coco Gauff of the United States during their French Open quarterfinal match at Roland Garros stadium in Paris, Wednesday, June 7, 2023. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
«The quarterfinals are sometimes the most difficult matches,» Swiatek said on court Philippe Chatrier after his win. «Although he is young, he has experience. I am very happy to be in the semifinal.»
Earlier in Chatrier, Haddad Maia scored another comeback win, defeating Ons Jabeur 3-6, 7-6(5), 6-1 to become the first Brazilian woman since 1968 to reach a Grand Slam semifinal.
Haddad Maia, the 14th seed, who served a 10-month ban for failing a doping test in 2019, got off to a slow start against seventh-seeded Jabeur.
After playing nearly four hours to beat Sara Sorribes Tormo in the fourth round, Haddad Maia won just one of her service games in the first set. But he saved the only two break points he faced in the second set, both in the 11th game to go up 6-5, and won the tiebreaker.
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Coco Gauff of the United States plays a shot against Iga Swiatek of Poland during their French Open quarterfinal match at Roland Garros stadium in Paris, Wednesday, June 7, 2023. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
The 27-year-old Brazilian began the deciding set with a double break and a 3-0 lead. A frustrated Jabeur tossed her racket into the air after hitting an easy deflected backhand on a break chance as she trailed 4-1. Haddad Maia won the game and pulled the match, putting her hand on his cap almost in disbelief after Jabeur launched a long forehand on second match point.
«I had to be patient. She is one of the best players in the world,» Haddad Maia said on court. «It’s not easy to play against her. Sometimes she’s tricky.»
Jabeur, a Tunisian who was runner-up at Wimbledon and the US Open last year, used dropshots effectively early in the match, but in the end had more unforced errors (42) than winners (38).
«I always thought the game (would) be long,» Haddad Maia said. «That was the key. I was trying to keep up my game.»
Haddad Maia is the first Brazilian woman to reach the Roland Garros semifinals in the Open era. Maria Bueno reached the quarterfinals at the 1966 French Open and reached the semifinals at the 1968 US Open.
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Poland’s Iga Swiatek celebrates winning her French Open tennis tournament quarterfinal match against American Coco Gauff in straight sets 6-4, 6-2, at Roland Garros stadium in Paris, Wednesday, June 7, 2023. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)
Haddad Maia’s fourth-round win over Sorribes Tormo, 6-7(3), 6-3, 7-5, was the longest WTA match of the year, clocking in at 3 hours, 51 minutes.
After failing her doping test in 2019, the Brazilian player argued that she had simply been taking supplements. The International Tennis Federation accepted Haddad Maia’s explanation, saying that she had «no significant fault or negligence in her violation» but that the suspension was nonetheless mandatory.
Jabeur, whose tournament preparations were delayed by a calf injury, said she «didn’t expect to be in the quarterfinals, especially this is my first tournament after being injured.»