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Top seed Sabalenka beats Zheng to reach French Open semis / Photo: © AFP
Top seed Sabalenka beats Zheng to reach French Open semis
World number one Aryna Sabalenka defeated Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen in straight sets to book the first spot in the French Open semi-finals on Tuesday.
The top seed from Belarus won through 7-6 (7/3), 6-3 against the Chinese eighth seed. She next plays either three-time defending champion Iga Swiatek of Poland or Ukraine's Elina Svitolina for a place in the final.
The 27-year-old fought back after struggling in the first set against Zheng, who had beaten her in the last eight on clay in Rome last month.
"The last tournament I was pretty exhausted," said Sabalenka. "Today I was more fresh I was ready to battle, to fight and give everything."
Madrid champion Sabalenka feels she is ready to go all the way in Paris, where her best performance so far was reaching the semi-finals two years ago.
"Everyone wants that beautiful trophy and I hope to do better than last time," she added.
A three-time Grand Slam winner, winning the Australian Open in 2023 and 2024 and the reigning US Open champion, Sabalenka is chasing her first title in Paris.
K. Berger--BTZ
