Paolini ends Andreeva’s fairytale run to set up French Open title showdown against Swiatek

Jasmine Paolini will play Iga Swiatek in the French Open final after the Italian 12th seed ended the run of 17-year-old Russian sensation Mirra Andreeva in the last four on Thursday, winning 6-3, 6-1.

Paolini is through to her first Grand Slam final at the age of 28. She had never gone beyond the second round of a major before the start of this year.

The world number 15 had won a total of four matches in 16 Grand Slam appearances before advancing to the fourth round of the Australian Open in January.

Now she is one win away from an improbable title at Roland Garros as she tries to emulate compatriot Francesca Schiavone, who won the 2010 French Open. Paolini is also guaranteed to break into the top 10 for the first time.

“I learned I think a little bit later than other players, to dream is the most important thing in sport and in life,” said Paolini.

“I’m happy I could dream this moment. I don’t know what to say, I’m so emotional.”

Andreeva had become the youngest Grand Slam semi-finalist in 27 years with a shock victory over second seed Aryna Sabalenka in the last eight.

But her bid to be crowned the youngest major champion since Martina Hingis at the 1997 US Open was cut short as Andreeva was unable to reproduce the level that saw her put out an ailing Sabalenka.

Paolini snatched the only break of a tight opening set in the fourth game, saving five break chances across her next two service games to keep Andreeva at arm’s length.

The errors continued to pile up for Andreeva and Paolini seized her opportunity once more when it arose at 1-1 in the second set, before breaking for a second time to stride towards the finish line.

With Andreeva looking increasingly disconsolate and fighting back tears, Paolini applied the coup de grace with one last break to complete a resounding victory.

Swiatek eliminates Coco Gauff: In another semi-final, Swiatek eliminated Coco Gauff 6-2, 6-4 on Thursday and stretched her winning streak at Roland Garros to 20 matches.

The top-ranked Swiatek is trying to earn her fourth championship in five years in Paris and can become the first woman with three in a row here since Justine Henin from 2007-09.

Swiatek improved to 11-1 overall against No. 3 seed Gauff, the reigning US Open champion, and has defeated her at the clay-court Grand Slam tournament three years in a row, including in the 2022 final and last year’s quarter-finals.

Swiatek, who turned 23 last week, is 4-0 in major finals so far and she has been at her dominant best for most of the past two weeks.

Putting aside a three-set, second-round victory over four-time major champion Naomi Osaka, when she was forced to save a match point, Swiatek has ceded a total of merely 17 games in her other five matches.

Displaying her usual brand of powerful-but-clean groundstrokes, Swiatek needed only 10 winners to advance on Thursday, in part because she made only 14 unforced errors - while Gauff finished with 39.

It did not take long for Swiatek to assert herself on a sunny afternoon in Court Philippe Chatrier, where several spectators waved red and white flags of her native Poland - even drawing an admonition from chair umpire Aurélie Tourte in the second set.

When Gauff missed the mark early, she really missed it. One return went off her racket frame. Another flew 10 feet long. The opening game ended when Gauff wildly hit a swinging volley that landed way out, too, handing over a break.

Swiatek went up by a double break at 4-1 when Gauff netted a backhand, then slapped her thigh and smacked her racket against a bag on her sideline bench. There were other examples of negative body language from Gauff: a bowed head here, slumped shoulders there.

It’s not as though Gauff did not have some chances to make more of a match of this.

In each of Swiatek’s first two service games, she faced a break point. But each time, Gauff failed to convert.

Agencies