Sabalenka ends Swiatek's reign in thriller, Gauff eases into final

World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka ended champion Iga Swiatek's dream of lifting her fifth Roland Garros title with a 7-6(1), 4-6, 6-0 win in their semifinal clash on Thursday.

Sabalenka was behind at 1-5 in her head-to-head record with Swiatek entering the match but exhibited the dominant form that made her the current world No. 1.

It took Sabalenka two hours and 19 minutes to snap Pole Swiatek's 26-match winning streak at the event.

Aryna Sabalenka returns a shot during the women's singles semifinal between Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus and Iga Swiatek of Poland at the French Open tennis tournament at Roland Garros, Paris, France, June 5, 2025. (Xinhua/Gao Jing)

"I'm super happy with the win today and beating Iga at Roland Garros," said the Belarusian. "It's just something unbelievable and something I'm super proud of, and yeah, just happy to get through this difficult match."

The 27-year-old will next face world No. 2 Coco Gauff in the final - the first final showdown in a decade between the top two ranked players for the French Open title.

Gauff breezed past French wild card Lois Boisson in the second semifinal 6-1, 6-2 to advance to the final for a second time.

The 2022 finalist will bid for her second Grand Slam title, having won the US Open in 2023 over Sabalenka over three sets.

"My first final here I was super nervous, and I kind of wrote myself off before the match even happened," said Gauff. "Obviously here I have a lot more confidence just from playing a Grand Slam final before and doing well in one. Yeah, I think going into Saturday I'll just give it my best shot and try to be as calm and relaxed as possible."

US Open champions Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori became the first Italian pair since 1958 to win the French Open mixed doubles, beating Americans Taylor Townsend and Evan King 6-4, 6-2.

In the women's wheelchair quarterfinals, China's Li Xiaohui brushed aside Ksenia Chasteau of France 6-2, 6-1 before she combined with compatriot Wang Ziying to defeat France's Pauline Deroulede and Aniek Van Koot of the Netherlands 4-6, 7-5, 10-5 to advance into the women's wheelchair doubles final.

Friday's main focus will be on the two men's semifinals, where defending champion Carlos Alcaraz takes on Lorenzo Musetti on Chatrier, followed by Novak Djokovic against Jannik Sinner.