Sabalenka and Swiatek meet in the semi-finals of the French Open

On the evening of June 3, Beijing time, the Philippe Chartier Stadium witnessed two completely different but equally wonderful women's singles quarterfinals. With top seed Sabalenka and fifth seed Swiatek progressing, the 2025 French Open Women's Singles semifinals will be the most talked-about matchup in women's tennis today, which will be the 13th meeting between the two in their careers.

In the first quarter-final, Belarusian star Sabalenka defeated China's Zheng Qinwen 7-6(3) 6-3 to avenge the defeat in Rome. In the match, the top seed showed the ultimate in the "aesthetic of violence": he hit 20 winning points and won 60% of his first serve, especially in the tie-break with his trademark heavy serve. The victory not only allowed her to reach the semi-finals of the French Open for the second time, but also increased her Grand Slam semi-final tally to 11, cementing her image as a modern all-rounder who is a "hard-court clay-double-stopper".

Although Zheng Qinwen was unable to go further, his result in the quarterfinals of the French Open still helped him return to a career-high No. 5 in the rankings. The Chinese girl's performance in the first set was a sign that she was gradually closing the gap with the top players.

In the other women's quarter-final, defending champion Swiatek eased to beat Ukraine's Svitolina 6-1, 7-5 to extend her French Open winning streak to 26 matches and Roland Garros' overall record to a terrifying 40-2. Poland held serve only one game in the first set, and regained control of the court in time for a brief resistance in the second set. It was her fifth time reaching the semifinals of the French Open and the eighth time in her career that she reached the semifinals of a Grand Slam.

It is worth noting that Swiatek's reversal of three games in a row when she was down 4-5 in the second set showed the unique ability of the "Queen of Clay" to read the game. The post-match technical stats showed a staggering 3,200 rpm in her forehand, far exceeding the women's average of 2,200 rpm, and this unique "topspin press" style of play would be a key weapon in the semi-finals.

The Belarusian and the Pole met in the semi-finals, and when Sabalenka's "attacking firepower" met Swiatek's "defensive art", the semi-final was destined to become a classic confrontation between technical flow and power. In the past 12 meetings between the two sides, Swiatek leads 8-4 and is 5-1 on clay.Sabalenka leads the WTA this season with 74.3% first-serve points, but Swiatek tops the charts with 43.1% first-serve points, and this "strongest spear vs. strongest shield" game could determine the direction of the match.

This matchup is not only a clash of technical styles, but also a power landscape in women's tennis. Whatever the outcome, the clay courts of Roland Garros will witness another classic battle that will go down in history. (Source: Tennis Home Author: Mei)