First set: *Trevisan 1-0 Gauff (*denotes server) Trevisan serves first and they kick off by exchanging wide forehands to bring up 15-15. From 30-30, though, Trevisan strays wide again and gives Gauff a break point … which she can’t take, straying wide with a forehand after a long rally. Deuce then. The Italian gets the better of another lengthy rally for advantage, then thunks down a solid serve that secures the hold.
So to the second semi-final. Martina Trevisan is first out on court, with Coco Gauff not far behind.
Before we turn our attentions to the second semi, here’s Tumaini Carayol’s report from Roland Garros on the first:
“Even with the gap between herself and the field, this has been an immense effort from Swiatek in her first ever grand slam tournament as No 1 and the winning streak could have been a burden rather than an asset. She has only used it to reinforce her dominance over the field and, no matter who she faces, she will embrace her role as the overwhelming favourite in the final.”
Martina Trevisan v Coco Gauff
Next up then, the surprise package of the women’s draw. The 28-year-old Martina Trevisan, No 59 in the world, had been in the main draw of grand slams only seven times before this tournament. From her quarter of the draw, she could’ve expected to face Ons Jabeur, Petra Kvitova, Angelique Kerber and Maria Sakkari before reaching this point but instead she’s managed to arrive at a grand-slam semi-final having faced only one seed, Leylah Fernandez.
It has been a dream run but perhaps it hasn’t come entirely out of the blue – after a miserable start to the clay season, she won the tournament on clay in Rabat, beating Garbiñe Muguruza along the way. And her only previous deep run at a slam came in Paris in 2020 when she reached the last eight.
She faces the No 18 seed, Coco Gauff, who arrives in the semi-finals having not dropped a set. This is the teenager’s first visit to the final four of a slam tournament but she surely won’t get a better chance to become the first 18-year-old to reach a slam final since … um … Emma Raducanu in the autumn.
No one has played more matches at Roland Garros this year than the American – she is also into the semi-finals in the women’s doubles.
An emotional Iga Swiatek tells Marion Bartoli on court “It’s a pretty special moment.”
She reveals she listened to Led Zeppelin to prepare for the match today. Nice.
It was 2-2 in the first set. Swiatek won 10 of the next 11 games from that point to take the match. That’s 34 wins in a row for the world No 1.
Iga Swiatek beats Daria Kasatkina 6-2, 6-1
Second set: Swiatek 6-2, 6-1 Kasatkina* (*denotes server) Swiatek serves for the match after barely an hour of play. A thumping backhand down the line brings up 30-0. You feel Kasatkina just wants to get off the court at this point. She’ll get her wish very soon. Another cross-court forehand from Swiatek brings up three match points … and she pings down an ace to finish things! That was comprehensive.
Second set: Swiatek 6-2, 5-1 Kasatkina* (*denotes server) Kasatkina begins a must-win service game with a wild and wide forehand that doesn’t bode well for her future in this tournament. She compounds the error with a double-fault and it’s 0-30. The crowd again tries to rally her but Swiatek is indifferent to their pleas for clemency. A crunching backhand makes it 0-40, and a blistering forehand down the line confirms the break.
Second set: *Swiatek 6-2, 4-1 Kasatkina (*denotes server) The crowd are trying to get behind Kasatkina a little but it’s more out of sympathy than expectation. She’s being steamrollered at this point. Swiatek holds to 30.
Second set: Swiatek 6-2, 3-1 Kasatkina* (*denotes server) A break here and you feel this could unravel very quickly for Kasatkina. And Swiatek is all over her, battering her way to a 0-30 lead. And a cracking cross-court backhand makes it 0-40. Katsakina strays long with a forehand and that’s the break.
Second set: *Swiatek 6-2, 2-1 Kasatkina (*denotes server) Katsakina has won three games and she’s had to work incredibly hard for all of them. Swiatek, though, has gobbled up points on her serve. And this game is no different – Swiatek, with too much power and too much accuracy, holds to love.
Second set: Swiatek 6-2, 1-1 Kasatkina* (*denotes server) A backhand down the line gets Kasatkina ahead of the game in this one – she needs to find a foothold, Swiatek has rattled off five games in a row. A sliced backhand drifts into the net from the next, but Swiatek nets too to bring up 30-15.
The pair exchange a couple of slices, which gives Katsakina time to find a forehand winner for 40-15, then she’s a cm wide with a backhand down the line from the next. 40-30 and you can feel the importance of this one. A booming serve forces Swiatek to go long, and Katsakina has stopped the rot.
Second set: *Swiatek 6-2, 1-0 Kasatkina (*denotes server) Both players started a little tentatively. Then both seemed to settle. Then Swiatek stuck on the afterburners and tore away with the set. Things are looking very bleak for Kasatkina – she’s struggling to find enough depth to put Swaitek under any kind of pressure. Swiatek starts the second set with a hold to 30.
Swiatek wins first set 6-2
First set: Swiatek 6-2 Kasatkina* (*denotes server) It’s one-way traffic now. Swiatek is all over her opponent and is 0-40 up in the blink of an eye. Three set points … and she takes the first with a blistering return of Katsakina’s second serve. The No 1 seed takes the first set.
First set: *Swiatek 5-2 Kasatkina (*denotes server) Swiatek is going through the gears here. She races into a 30-0 lead and it takes a superb forehand down the line to get Kasatkina on the board. That’s all she gets though, and it’s a simple hold to 15.
First set: Swiatek 4-2 Kasatkina* (*denotes server) Swiatek isn’t playing much defence here – it’s attack, attack, attack. Kasatkina is relying on the counterpunch but she’s in trouble here at 15-30 … then she crashes a simple forehand yards wide at the net. The breeze might have been to blame but that means more break points for Swiatek. And she only needs one, forcing her opponent wide, then calmly slotting into open court.
First set: *Swiatek 3-2 Kasatkina (*denotes server) After a trio of tight games, Swiatek races into a 40-0 lead in this one, then is brilliantly passed at the net by Kasatkina. It’s only a brief reprieve, though, Swiatek’s power proving too much as she holds to 15.
First set: Swiatek 2-2 Kasatkina* (*denotes server) Well, that immediate break back suggests Swiatek won’t have this all her own way after an opening two games that looked ominous for her opponent. 30-all in this one and then comes the best rally of the match so far, shot after shot. Swiatek gets the better of it to bring up another break point … but again Kasatkina saves. A beautiful backhand down the line gives her advantage … but she goes just long on the next. Both games on her serve so far have gone to deuce and multiple advantages … but this time a thunking Kasatkina serve settles the argument. An important hold that.
First set: *Swiatek 2-1 Kasatkina (*denotes server) Kasatkina finds her mojo a little here, going 15-30 up on the Swiatek serve. And Swiatek throws in her second double fault of the match to give her opponent two break points … Kasatkina only needs one! A brilliant forehand down the line, back behind her opponent, gives her an immediate break back.
First set: Swiatek 2-0 Kasatkina* (*denotes server) Kasatkina wins the first point off her racket, scampering up to the net after an imperfect Swiatek dropshot. That should settle the nerves but an awkward forehand goes long to bring up 30-15, and a backhand follows it beyond the baseline next up: 30-30. They exchange unforced errors from that point to bring up deuce. Kasatkini again goes long to give Swiatek the first look at a break point … but a pinpoint accurate angled forehand saves the day. Unforced error – break point. Saved with an ace. Double fault – break point. Saved with a deft volley. Wide with a forehand – break point … and this time the firefighting can’t put out Swiatek’s blaze. An early break for the No 1 seed.
First set: *Swiatek 1-0 Kasatkina (*denotes server) The No 1 seed is to serve first … and she kicks things off with a double fault! Once she lands a serve inside the lines, though, she’s quickly into her stride, overpowering Kasatkina in a couple of rallies. And she holds to 15 – the Russian was overwhelmed entirely there.
The players emerge into the bright Paris sunshine. Kasatkina walks out first onto Philippe-Chatrier, with Swiatek not far behind. The stands looks pretty sparsely populated, which is a bit of a shame. Hopefully it’ll fill up a bit before play starts.
A bit of a surprise in the men’s wheelchair singles: GB’s Alfie Hewett, the top seed, is out after a heavy defeat against Gusti Fernandez.
The first trophy of the 2022 French Open has been awarded – Ena Shibahara and Wesley Koolhof, the No 2 seeds, are the mixed doubles champions. The pair were comfortable winners in straight sets over Ulrikke Eikeri and Joran Vliegen.
Preamble
Hello all. And welcome to women’s semi-final day at Roland Garros. Here’s what we’ve got to look forward to today:
Order of play
Iga Swiatek (1) v Daria Kasatkina (20) – not before 2pm BST
Martina Trevisan v Coco Gauff (18)
First up then, it’s the No 1 seed. Swiatek has looked the class act of the field, dropping just one set on her way to the semis, and is heavy odds-on favourite to take the title from this point. If Daria Kasatkina wanted reason for optimism, well … Swiatek was looking in fine fettle at the Australian Open before a surprise semi-final exit. (Although in fairness she bounced back by winning the tournament in Indian Wells. And in Miami. And in Stuttgart. And in Rome. And she’s won 14 out of 14 on clay so far this season).
For Kasatkina this is a first slam semi-final, and indeed the first time she’s been past the third round in one of the big four since 2018. She’s had a reasonable time of it in the clay swing of the season, reaching the semi-finals in Rome last month. And she’s beaten Coco Gauff, Maria Sakkari and Paula Badosa on the red stuff in the last few weeks. She’s not dropped a set in Paris en route to this point but this is a huge step up in class.
