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French Open 2025: Aryna Sabalenka to duel with old rival Iga Swiatek in semi-finals

  • Writer: Izzy Jubb
    Izzy Jubb
  • Jun 4
  • 2 min read
The image shows Aryna Sabalenka, a tennis player, on a clay court with her arms raised in a victorious gesture. She is smiling broadly and appears to be celebrating a win. She is wearing a blue and orange tennis outfit. There are spectators in the background, though they are out of focus.
All smiles for Aryna Sabalenka who's progressed to the French Open semi-finals. @arynasabalenka/Instagram

World number one Aryna Sabalenka is through to the French Open semi-finals and will now face four-time champion Iga Swiatek in a must-see showdown.


In a tight battle against quarter final match Sabalenka ousted 2024 Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen 7-6 (7-3) 6-3.


The Belarusian has already won three singles titles this season and has been dubbed as the ‘one to beat’ in the tournament. 


Qinwen had a powerful opening to the match, however her inconsistency with 31 unforced errors - compared to 18 for Sabalenka - proved costly.


The image captures tennis player Zheng Qinwen in action on a clay court during a serve. She is in mid-motion, tossing the ball up with her left hand while holding a tennis racket with her right, poised to strike. She is wearing a light purple tennis dress and athletic shoes, with a white compression sleeve on her left arm. The background shows blurred spectators in the stands and part of the tennis net. The lighting suggests it is daytime and sunny.
Zheng Qinwen won gold at the 2024 Olympics in the women's singles. @zhengqinwen_tennis/Instagram.

 A particularly glaring weakness for the Chinese player was her second serve, which she struggled to win points behind (only 39%), allowing Sabalenka to capitalize. 


Strong winds disrupted Sabalenka’s rhythm, finding herself down an early break in the first set. Yet Sabalenka demonstrated mental toughness by recovering her performance to level the score 4-4. 


The world’s number one player truly earned her tanking by taking command of the crucial tie-breaker. She effectively absorbed Zheng’s aggressive forehands and showcased remarkable resilience, consistently recovering from 0-30 deficits in her service game to stay competitive. 


After a period where both players exchanged breaks, a poor performance from Qinwen gave her opponent a vital 4-3 lead and shifted momentum firmly in favour of Sabalenka for the remainder of the set. 


Qinwen quickly became 40-0 up however Sabalenka’s trademark powerful serve left Zheng only able to respond by watching the ball fly past her. 


A game set match from Sabalenka means she will now meet Iga Swiatek in the semi final. 

The image shows tennis player Iga Świątek in action on a clay court. She is captured mid-shot, possibly hitting a backhand, with her body twisted and racket in motion. She is wearing a white tank top, a black skirt, bright yellow athletic shoes, and a yellow cap. In the background, there's a tennis court backdrop with "MUTUA MADRID OPEN" visible, along with some floral decorations.
Iga Swiatek has not been defeated in the Roland Garros since the quarter final in 2021. @iga.switek/Instagram.

The former world number one demonstrated her prowess in silencing Elina Svitolina to emerge victorious 1-6 5-7.


The Polish star is infamous for her relentless style of play and ability to win long, gruelling games at deuce-advantage. 


Svitolina will be annoyed with her performance after failing to capitalise on critical openings during the game.

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