When Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff returned to the semi-finals of the French Open, it seemed certain that another heavyweight clash would follow on the other side of the draw. With Elena Rybakina facing the 12th seed Jasmine Paolini and Aryna Sabalenka up against the teenager Mirra Andreeva, it appeared that the top four seeds, and winners of seven of the last eight grand slam titles, would all be taking their place in the semi-finals.
But the big four became the top two on a day of shocks at Roland Garros, leaving two contrasting semi-finals in the women’s singles. Swiatek and Gauff have played on the biggest stages, including against each other in a French Open final, and on Monday they will occupy No 1 and 2 in the WTA rankings. Both Paolini and the 17-year-old Andreeva, meanwhile, will be playing in their first grand slam semi-final when they meet on Court Philippe-Chatrier.
