Prepare for a thrilling contest on Thursday as in-form world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka seeks to end Iga Swiatek's French Open supremacy in the semi-final everyone hoped for when the draw was made.
Swiatek has not been defeated at Roland Garros since the quarter-final in 2021, but the four-peat-chasing star has likely never faced a challenge as daunting as what the Belarusian will present in her attempt to halt the four-time champion's 26-match winning streak.
Match preview
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Did anyone genuinely worry for Sabalenka when she fell a break down in the first set against Qinwen Zheng on Tuesday?
The expectation was that the top seed would elevate her game and roar back against the Olympic champion, who entered the quarter-final on a 10-match winning streak in Paris, including last year's Olympic Games in the French capital.
As the 27-year-old is accustomed to doing, the Belarusian responded and took the opening set into a tie-break, which she won en route to an eventual 7-6(3), 6-3 victory over the eighth seed in one hour and 57 minutes.
Having lost their most recent meeting in Rome, Sabalenka approached Tuesday's match keen to avoid consecutive defeats against Zheng; defeating the Chinese No. 1 not only saw the top seed improve to 7-1 in their head-to-head but also marked another top-10 win at a Grand Slam.
Since 1990, only three women have a superior win rate against elite opponents than the Belarusian's 70% at majors from 10 matches or more — Steffi Graf (75.3%), Swiatek (75%) and Martina Navratilova (70.6%) — highlighting the No. 1 seed's remarkable achievement.
Not only does the Belarusian prevail against the best players in major tournaments, but she also demonstrates remarkable consistency, as shown by her reaching double figures in Grand Slam semi-finals since the start of the 2020 season (11), with Thursday's opponent the next highest with five.
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Defeating Swiatek on clay in Paris may be a Sisyphean task for most, but one Sabalenka likely relishes as she faces the woman on a 26-match winning streak at Roland Garros.
More records fell for the 24-year-old Pole after Tuesday's triumph over Elina Svitolina, improving the four-time French Open winner's record on the Paris clay to 40-2.
With 40 wins in the event, only Rafael Nadal achieved that number of victories quicker in the Open Era across the men's and women's tours, emphasising the four-time champion's dominance in these parts.
Entering Thursday's semi-final with a 95.2% win percentage in the French capital highlights the Polish star's nearly flawless performance on the clay in Paris, as the 24-year-old aims for a 41st victory to reach the title match and pursue immortality with a fourth consecutive crown and fifth overall.
Having not lost at this event since Maria Sakkari defeated her in the 2021 quarter-final, Sabalenka poses a significant threat to the clay queen's 26-match winning streak, and the semi-final clash promises to be enthralling for fans and observers alike.
Tournament so far
Aryna Sabalenka:
First round: vs. Kamilla Rakhimova 6-1 6-0
Second round: vs. Jil Teichmann 6-3 6-1
Third round: vs. Olga Danilovic 6-2 6-3
Round of 16: vs. Amanda Anisimova 7-5 6-3
Quarter-final: vs. Qinwen Zheng 7-6[3] 6-3
Iga Swiatek:
First round: vs. Rebecca Sramkova 6-3 6-3
Second round: vs. Emma Raducanu 6-1 6-2
Third round: vs. Jaqueline Cristian 6-2 7-5
Round of 16: vs. Elena Rybakina 1-6 6-3 7-5
Quarter-final: vs. Elina Svitolina 6-1 7-5
Head To Head
Cincinnati (2024) - Semi-final: Sabalenka 6-3 6-3
Rome (2024) - Final: Swiatek 6-2 6-3
Madrid Open (2024) - Final: Swiatek 7-5 4-6 7-6 (7)
WTA Finals (2023) - Semi-final: Swiatek 6-3 6-2
Madrid Open (2023) - Final: Sabalenka 6-3 3-6 6-3
Stuttgart Open (2023) - Final: Swiatek 6-3 6-4
WTA Finals (2022) - Semi-final: Sabalenka 6-2 2-6 6-1
US Open (2022) - Semi-final: Swiatek 3-6 6-1 6-4
Italian Open (2022) - Semi-final: Swiatek 6-2 6-1
Stuttgart Open (2022) - Final: Swiatek 6-2 6-2
Qatar Open (2022) - Quarter-final: Swiatek 6-2 6-3
WTA Finals (2021) - Round Robin: Sabalenka 2-6 6-2 7-5
Swiatek may have lost the most recent match against Sabalenka last year in Cincinnati, but the Pole leads their head-to-head 8-4 entering their 13th encounter.
Further illustrating the four-time French Open champion's dominance is her 5-1 record on clay courts, including two victories last year, one of which was a titanic three-hour and 11-minute match in Madrid.
The Polish star also prevailed over the Belarusian in their previous Grand Slam encounter at the 2022 US Open semi-final, where she ultimately claimed the title at Flushing Meadows.
Sabalenka has suffered only one defeat against top-10 players in 2025 — her loss in Rome to Zheng — entering the women's French Open semi-final with a 7-1 record against such opponents, which is superior to Swiatek's 5-2 against elite players.
We say: Sabalenka to win in three sets
Despite entering this year's French Open with less than stellar results in the lead-up clay events, Swiatek has reached a fourth consecutive semi-final and fifth in six years.
While she was tested by Cristian in the second set of her third-round victory and nearly eliminated by Rybakina in the fourth round, Sabalenka's level is undeniably higher than that of her previous opponents.
Therefore, the top seed, who can strike with fierce ball-striking or deft drop shots, is favoured to end Swiatek's 26-match winning streak in the French capital and thwart the 24-year-old's dream of a four-peat on the Paris clay.
