2024 French Open Day 12: Swiatek v Gauff, Andreeva v Paolini In Women’s Semifinals

With the men having a day off for the first time all event, the women get the spotlight on semifinal day at the French Open.

We will be guaranteed of a Grand Slam champion and former French finalist in the Saturday title match against a first-time Slam finalist.

Iga Swiatek clashes with Coco Gauff in the first semifinal and then it’s the surprise affair between teen sensation Mirra Andreeva and Jasmine Paolini.

Swiatek and Gauff will battle of a 12th time. Can it be a rivalry? Will it ever be a rivalry? Women’s tennis needs it, but right now Swiatek has dominated leading 10-1 and 2-0 at the French Open the last two years, all in straights.

Swiatek, who saved a match point last week, enters having won her last 19 matches at Roland Garros while Gauff has only lost to the eventual winner at the event the last three years.

“Look, she’s obviously No.1 in the world, and she won this tournament three times already,” Gauff said to the WTA. “I think for me I’m just going in with confidence.

“When I played her in Cincinnati, I didn’t go into the match thinking, ‘Oh, I’ve never beaten her before, never taken a set off of her.’

“So I can’t think of past players. Potapova isn’t me. I’m not Vondrousova. It doesn’t mean anything. Maybe I could lose with the same score, maybe not, but I’m just going to go in and just try to win.”

Swiatek is a perfect 6-0 once she reaches the French Open semifinals.

Andreeva and Paolini are playing in their first Slam semifinal — they have never been in a quarter before today. In fact, this is Andreeva’s first WTA semifinal, period!

The two did just play in Madrid in April with Andreeva coming out on top 7-6, 6-4 in the fourth round.

“I played her in Madrid,” Andreeva said of facing the 28-year-old Italian. “It was a really tough match mentally and game wise. She plays really fast, moves really fast, she goes for it no matter the score or the situation. I think it will be a little bit like today, I’ll try to play the same level with a ‘cold head’ and we’ll see what happens.”

The 17-year-old Andreeva knows that teens have run deep in Paris with Gauff, Swiatek and Vondrousova all making the final of late while under 20.

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