World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka reaches French Open semi-finals with Zheng Qinwen win, gains revenge for Rome defeat

Aryna Sabalenka will be in the semi-finals of the French Open after seeing off Zheng Qinwen on Tuesday morning at Roland Garros on Court Philippe-Chatrier.

Sabalenka talked before the match about wanting to gain revenge after losing out to the top Chinese star and eighth seed at the Rome Open. She blamed the defeat on perhaps being tired and it kind of showed in the opposite way in Paris.

It is an 11th career Grand Slam semi-final for Sabalenka who ends a 10-match winning streak at this venue for Zheng who won the Olympic gold medal last July. She reaches the semi-finals for the second time and there won't be a Karolina Muchova type match awaiting her next.

Instead it will potentially be Elina Svitolina or Iga Swiatek so a match if we get the latter that we won't get in the final. Coco Gauff would be the likely opponent from the bottom half for either the World No.1 or the current Queen of Clay.

It was all Zheng in the early knockings of the opening set as she went 3-1 up with a break but Sabalenka loomed and broke for 4-4. She went on to hold and gaining that break back allowed her to surge towards a tie-break. She did have a set point at 6-5 though which would've seen her wrap it up at that point.

But in the tie-break after an incredible set from both it was Sabalenka that sealed it 7-3. The second set saw breaks exchanged in three straight games but it was Sabalenka that came out the better of the exchanges. She held for 5-3.

This saw her gain that extra final surge towards the win as she then broke again on advantage after being 0-40 down in the last game to Zheng who surrendered her advantage to Sabalenka and lost the match from there. Who can stop the World No.1 this week? On this evidence not many.

Match Statistics Sabalenka vs. Zheng