Paris (AP) – Datched rust clay spots Aryna Sabalenka Return and hid her white shoes when she tore a big blow after a big blow against Iga Swiatek Thursday, the sound of the racket on the reverberated chain of the closed roof at the main stadium of Roland Garros.
If accustomed to hearing – and believe – she was a specialist in the rapid court who could not succeed on the slower red clay used in Roland -Garros, the Sabalenka n ° 1 showed how good she can be on the surface by putting on the surface by putting the undefeated sequence of 26 Swiatek games to the French open and offering for a fourth consecutive trophy 7-6 (1), 4-6, 6-0.
Now Sabalenka will try to win her fourth Grand Slam title – and first not on a hard ground – when she faces n ° 2 Coco Gauff in the final on Saturday. It will be the first title match in Paris between n ° 1 and 2 women since 2013 and the second in the past 30 years.
“It will mean everything for me and my team, because I must say that almost (my) whole life, I was told (Clay) is not my thing, and then I did not trust,” said Sabalenka. “In the past – I don’t know how many years – we have been able to develop my game so much, so I really feel comfortable on this surface and like to play on Clay.”
Gauff, a 21 -year -old American who was a finalist in 2022 in Swiatek, reached his second final of the French Open By beating a French joker entrance 361st row Wood drink 6-1, 6-2 in a semi-final without interruption without interruption.
“My first final here, I was super nervous, and I wrote myself in a way even before the match,” said Gauff, who has 5-5 2023 US Open Title At 19. “Obviously, here, I have a lot more confidence just by playing a final of the big slam before and I manage well in one.”
To the chagrin of the 15,000 inhabitants who pulled their compatriot to the Court Philippe-Chatrier, Gauff against drink was not really a competition, as you would expect from their ranking and their relative experience.
Again, that did not prevent a drink from eliminating both the n ° 3 Jessica Pegula and the No. 6 Mirra Andreeva en route to become the first woman since 1989 to go to the semi-finals during her beginnings to the Grand Slam.
While the crowd was, singing the drinking first name several times, the Gauff game also said a lot, when it took 20 of the first 30 points for a 4-0 lead. This model was holding and at the end, Gauff had claimed 34 of the 51 points which lasted at least five strokes.
The most remarkable about Sabalenka’s victory was the way she dominated in Crunch Time, in the race through the last set.
“I mean, 6-love,” she said. “What can I say?” I couldn’t be more perfect than that. ”
The explanation of Swiatek?
“I lost my intensity a little,” she said. “I couldn’t grow back.”
This statistic says everything: the third set included 12 uncomposed errors on the Swiatek and zero racket off Sabalenka.
This continues an approximate section for Swiatek, a 24 -year -old man in Poland, who has not reached a final during a tournament since his distance from his third consecutive trophy – and the fifth title of the Grand Chelem – in Paris 12 months ago. She recently slipped to No. 5 in the ranking.
His orche includes a semi-final At the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Later last season, she was suspended for a month After having tested positive for a prohibited substance; His explanation was accepted that the result was caused by a contaminated medication.
Sabanka is undoubtedly as good as in the tennis of women at the moment.
“She was no doubt,” said Swiatek. “She just went for that.”
Even if Sabalenka broke out in the first game and quickly led 4-1 – how Swiattek was casting his eyes towards his coach, Wim Fissette, in the stands, hoping for a kind of insight that could change things – it was not one -way traffic. Swiatek ended up directing 5-4 in this set, but when they arrived at equality, Sabalenka asserted himself.
Did the same in the last set.
“It was a big match, and it was like a final,” said Sabalenka, who won the Australian Open twice and the US Open once. “But I know that work is not yet over.”
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AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis
