Iga Swiatek has now won 33 consecutive matches, and is just two matches away from her sixth straight title, and her second Major overall. In the semifinals, she faces Slam semifinal debutante Daria Kasatkina for the fourth time this year.
The other women’s singles semifinal features two other players who are new to this stage of a Major. 18-year-old American Coco Gauff will do battle with 28-year-old Italian Martina Trevisan.
Also on Thursday, the men’s doubles semifinals will be played, as will the mixed doubles championship match.
Iga Swiatek (1) vs. Daria Kasatkina (20) – Not Before 3:00pm on Court Philippe Chatrier
Their three meetings in 2022 all occurred within the first two months of the year on hard courts. All three went to Swiatek in straight sets, and none of them were close. The scores of those sets were 6-2, 6-3, 6-1, 6-2, 6-3, 6-0. Scores like those have been quite common for Iga no matter who she has faced this season, which has enabled her to compile a stellar record of 42-3.
Kasatkina has compiled 23 wins of her own, with more than half of those coming on clay. Daria has now won nine of her last 10 matches, with her only loss coming to Ons Jabeur, who was in terrific form on this surface. Kasatkina has not dropped a set this fortnight, with no opponent pushing her beyond 6-3 in a set until Wednesday’s quarterfinals. And prior to this year, she had claimed her only encounter with Swiatek, last June on the grass of Eastbourne.
But on Iga’s best surface, and in Daria’s first-ever Major semifinal, Swiatek is a considerable favorite to return to the championship match at Roland Garros. There is not much in Kasatkina’s game that can threaten the world No.1 when Iga is playing at her current level.
Coco Gauff (18) vs. Martina Trevisan – Last on Court Philippe Chatrier
Their only prior matchup occurred the only other time Trevisan advanced beyond the second round of a Major. That was two years ago at this event, when Martina made a surprise run to the quarterfinals as a qualifier. In the second round of that tournament, she defeated Gauff 4-6, 6-2, 7-5. On that day, Gauff struck 19 double faults, something she’s been focused on fixing in her game. Through five rounds in Paris, Coco has averaged just over five double faults per match. And she’s advanced comfortably, without the loss of a set.
Trevisan hadn’t either until her quarterfinal against another teenage sensation, Leylah Fernandez, when Martina squandered a match point in the second set. Yet she still managed to overcome an injured Fernandez 6-3 in the third. The Italian has overcome a lot in her life, as she left the sport for more than four years due to an eating disorder. Trevisan is currently on a 10-match winning streak, coming off a title run the week before this event in Rabat. Gauff was a modest 14-10 on the year prior to arriving in Paris, yet it appears her game is peaking at a great time.
Coco’s fire power makes her the favorite to achieve her first Slam final. However, we’ve seen a lot of surprising women’s singles finalists at this event in recent years. And Gauff will know she’s the favorite, which applies a lot of pressure on the teenager. Coco will need to remain relaxed in order to prevail, as we’ve seen the American get tight during many matches in the past.
Thursday’s full Order of Play is here.
