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Sunday’s fourth-round action at Roland Garros saw world number one Aryna Sabalenka and defending champion Iga Swiatek advance after difficult matches, while Elina Svitolina saved three match points to eliminate last year’s runner-up Jasmine Paolini.
Spectacular Svitolina saves three match points to upset last year’s finalist Paolini
The world No. 14 Svitolina mounted a stunning comeback to knock out fourth seed Paolini 4-6 7-6(6) 6-1, turning the match around after staring down three match points and eventually surging into the Roland Garros quarterfinals for the fifth time in her career.
Paolini, the 2024 French Open and Wimbledon runner-up, entered this year’s tournament in good form after a title run at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia just before arriving in Paris.
The 29-year-old Paolini burst out of the gates, quickly building a commanding 3-0 lead. After a series of exchanged breaks, she claimed the tightly contested first set 6-4, closing it with a blazing forehand winner. When she stepped up to serve at 5-3 in the second, a straight-sets win looked imminent. But Svitolina had other plans.
With her back against the wall, the Ukrainian saved two match points to break back, and later fended off a third during the tiebreak. Her resolve held firm as she snatched the second set, shifting the momentum entirely in her favor.
The deciding set was one-way traffic. Svitolina controlled the rallies and never let the Italian regain her footing.
Another big test is ahead of Svitolina. After dispatching last year’s Roland Garros runner-up, the Ukrainian is set to face last year’s champion at this event, Iga Swiatek.
Swiatek battles past Rybakina after a horrible start
Defending champion Iga Swiatek staged a gutsy comeback to overcome Elena Rybakina in a gripping fourth-round encounter at Roland Garros, keeping her title defense alive with a 1-6 6-3 7-5 victory. The win marks Swiatek’s 25th consecutive triumph at the French Open, as she continues her quest for a fifth title in six years on the Paris clay.
The Polish fifth seed endured a nightmare start, winning just one of the first nine games and falling behind 5-0 in the opening set. Rybakina was in full flight, striking cleanly and dictating rallies with ease. Swiatek avoided a bagel by saving two set points at 0-5, but Rybakina still wrapped up the opener in just 35 minutes.
Things didn’t immediately improve for Swiatek in the second set, as the 12th seed from Kazakhstan stormed ahead 2-0, winning the first eight points. But a missed overhead from Rybakina opened the door, and the momentum began to shift. Swiatek pounced, breaking back and finding her rhythm at last. A powerful forehand winner gave her another break later in the set, which she claimed 6-3.
The deciding set was a tense battle, with both players exchanging breaks and refusing to back down. At 5-5, Swiatek raised her level again, breaking serve and then serving out the match to seal a hard-earned victory.
After the match, Swiatek humorously compared Rybakina’s early dominance to facing men’s world No. 1 Jannik Sinner. Despite a rocky lead-up to the tournament and no titles or finals since lifting the trophy in Paris last year, Swiatek has once again shown why she’s earned the nickname “Queen of Clay.”
Sabalenka overcomes Anisimova on eighth match point
World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka overcame a familiar nemesis on Sunday to book her place in the Roland Garros quarterfinals for the third straight year. The top seed survived a fierce challenge from Anisimova, winning 7-5 6-3 in a tense battle.
Heading into the match, the odds seemed stacked against Sabalenka, as she had lost five of her seven previous encounters with Anisimova, including a notable defeat at Roland Garros in 2019, when the American teenager surged into the semifinals. But on this occasion, Sabalenka flipped the script.
After racing to a 4-1 lead and holding set point at 5-3, Sabalenka was pushed hard by Anisimova, who fought back to level the opening set and even held break points for 6-5. Sabalenka responded with clutch serving, including an ace, and broke to claim the set.
In the second, Sabalenka led 5-2 but needed eight match points to finally close it out, as Anisimova saved six in a marathon game and one more in the next.
Sabalenka will next face eighth seed Zheng Qinwen, last year’s Olympic gold medalist in Paris, who advanced by defeating Liudmila Samsonova 7-6(5) 1-6 6-3.
