“Forget what the result is”
Outsiders cause a sensation in Paris
05.06.2024, 20:32
To reach the semifinals of the French Open, they had to defeat a Wimbledon champion and the number two in the world. Now the two surprise winners, Paolini and Andrejewa, will meet. In the men’s competition, Sinner already knows that he is the new number one – no matter how his semifinal turns out.
Two outsiders have completely unexpectedly completed the semi-finals at the French Open. First, the Italian Jasmine Paolini celebrated the greatest success of her career with a 6:2, 4:6, 6:4 win against the former Wimbledon champion Jelena Rybakina from Kazakhstan. A little later, the 17-year-old Mirra Andrejewa caused an even bigger surprise. The young Russian defeated the physically ailing world number two Aryna Sabalenka from Belarus 6:7 (5:7), 6:4, 6:4, making her the youngest semi-finalist at a Grand Slam tournament since the then 16-year-old Swiss Martina Hingis 27 years ago.
It was also the biggest success to date for Andrejewa, who is coached by former top player Conchita Martínez. “At the moment I’ve even forgotten what the result is. I tried to concentrate only on myself,” said the world number 38 after the match on Court Philippe Chatrier. Sabalenka was in pain throughout the entire match, and medical timeouts and painkillers didn’t seem to help either.
Italian Days in Paris
Regarding the underdog semi-final against Paolini tomorrow, Andrejewa said: “She plays very fast and moves very quickly. I will try to play at the same level as today.” In the second semi-final, Polish world number one Iga Swiatek and US star Coco Gauff will face each other.
Paolini continued the Italian festivities in Paris. One day before the world number 15, her compatriot Jannik Sinner had already reached the semifinals in the men’s singles. According to sports data provider Opta, this means that for the first time in the professional era, tennis professionals from Italy have reached the semifinals of the two singles competitions of a Grand Slam tournament. The 22-year-old Sinner will also be the first Italian to take over the number one spot in the world rankings from next week, regardless of the outcome of his match on Friday against Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz.
“It’s an incredible feeling,” said Paolini after her first Grand Slam semifinal appearance. “I was too emotional in the second set, and I said to myself: she’s a great champion, this can happen. I kept fighting and came back.”