Join us for updates throughout the day as women's singles semis and juniors' quarters get underway
© Corinne Dubreuil/FFTBarbora Krejcikova fought back from the brink to reach her first Grand Slam singles final with a 7-5, 4-6, 9-7 victory over No.17 seed Maria Sakkari at Roland-Garros on Thursday.
The 33rd-ranked Czech, who is a former doubles No.1, saved a match point and broke Sakkari as the Greek was serving for the win at 5-4 in the deciding set, then managed to get in front and secured her place in the final on her fifth opportunity after three hours and 18 minutes of play.
Krejcikova, 25, will face Russian No.31 seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in Saturday's title decider.
"I always wanted to play a match like this, every time, when I was younger, when I was playing juniors, I always wanted to play a match like this," said Krejcikova on court. "Even if I had lost today, I would have still been proud of myself because I was fighting. Fighting is the most important thing, in here, and in real life."
Krejcikova is also still in the running in doubles alongside Katerina Siniakova. They take on Magda Linette and Bernarda Pera in the semi-finals on Friday.
She gave an emotional tribute to her late coach Jana Novotna, who died from cancer in 2017.
"Jana Novotna from upstairs, she's just really looking after me, I really miss her and I really want to thank her for... just because of her I'm here, it's really important for me to say this out loud," she said.
Pavlyuchenkova became the first Russian woman in over six years to reach a Grand Slam final as she overcame world No.85 Tamara Zidansek 7-5, 6-3 on Thursday in Paris.
The 29-year-old Pavlyuchenkova is through to the maiden major final of her career.
Pavlyuchenkova, who was contesting the first Grand Slam semi-final of her career, hit 19 winners and 22 unforced errors during her 94-minute victory.
The Dubai resident, who was a junior world No.1 15 years ago, is assured a return to the top 20 by virtue of making the final and could hit 14 in the rankings should she lift the trophy on Saturday.
The last Russian woman to feature in a Grand Slam final was Maria Sharapova at the 2015 Australian Open and the two-time Roland-Garros champion was won of the first to congratulate Pavlyuchenkova on Twitter on Thursday after her win.
Home favourites Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut battled for nearly three hours to get past second-seeded Colombians Robert Farah and Juan Sebastian Cabal 6-7(2), 7-6(2), 6-4 and reach the Roland-Garros men's doubles final for the second time together as a team.
The 2018 champions will take on Kazakhstani duo Alexander Bublik and Andrey Golubev, who outlasted Spaniards Pedro Martinez and Pablo Andujar 1-6, 6-4, 6-4.
© Cédric Lecocq/FFTAn all-French semi-final line-up has been set in boys' singles at Roland-Garros as Arthur Fils, Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, Sean Cuenin and Luca Van Assche all claimed victories on Thursday.
Van Assche, the No.13 seed, was the last of the quartet to punch his ticket to the final four as he downed Spaniard Daniel Merida Aguilar 7-6(8), 6-4.
No.9 seed Cuenin upset top-seeded Shang Juncheng 6-4, 7-5, while 14th-seeded Fils eased past Daniel Rincon 6-2, 6-3.
The fifth-seeded Perricard made it through 6-2, 6-1 over Ukrainian Viacheslav Bielinskyi.
© Julien Crosnier/FFTGirls' top seed and last year's Australian Open champion, Victoria Jimenez Kasintseva, fell to 16-year-old Czech Linda Noskova 7-5, 2-6, 6-3.
Noskova joins three Russians in the girls' singles semi-finals as she takes on fourth-seeded Diana Shnaider, who took out Robin Montgomery, while Erika Andreeva will square off against Oksana Selekhmeteva.
© Philippe Montigny/FFTDesirae Krawczyk and Joe Salisbury scooped the mixed doubles title with a 2-6, 6-4, [10-5] victory over Russian duo Elena Vesnina and Aslan Karatsev on Court Philippe-Chatrier in 76 minutes.
Krawczyk, who made the women's doubles final last year in Paris, has picked up her first Grand Slam winner's trophy, while Salisbury added a second major to his resume after clinching the 2020 Australian Open men's doubles title alongside Rajeev Ram.
ROLAND-GARROS
20 May - 9 June 2024
