Join us for updates throughout the day as the semi-finals of men's singles, juniors and women's doubles get underway
© Nicolas Gouhier/FFTNovak Djokovic handed Rafael Nadal his first-ever semi-final defeat at Roland-Garros, snapping the Spaniard's 35-match winning streak at the tournament to set up a final showdown with Stefanos Tsitsipas.
The world No.1 became the first player to beat Nadal more than once on Parisian clay and delivered the 13-time champion just his third-ever loss at Roland-Garros.
Djokovic pulled off the victory in four hours and 11 minutes, ending Nadal's title defence with a 3-6, 6-3, 7-6(4), 6-2 result.
Stefanos Tsitsipas became the the youngest man to reach a Grand Slam final since Andy Murray at the 2010 Australian Open, and the first Greek in history to achieve that feat, thanks to a 6-3, 6-3, 4-6, 4-6, 6-3 victory over sixth-seeded Alexander Zverev.
The 22-year-old is through to the maiden major final of his career and now awaits top-seeded Novak Djokovic or 13-time Roland-Garros champion in the title decider.
The victory ended Tsitsipas' three-match losing streak in Grand Slam semi-finals.
Tsitsipas saved three break points in his opening service game of the fifth set before opening up a 4-1 lead. Zverev saved four match points to hold for 3-5 but it only delayed the Greek's celebration by one game as he sealed the victory with an ace after three hours and 37 minutes of play.
"All I can think of is my roots, where I came from, I came from a really small place outside of Athens. My dream was to play here, my dream was to play in the big stage of the French Open one day, I would have never thought that I would," a tearful Tsitsipas said on court.
"There were a lot of people today that were raising flags, people cheering me on in Greek, it was very important to have these people around.
"It's very important for me to do my job well enough to have recognition back in my country, but not only that, I'm very happy that Greece is part of the tennis community more now. I'm very happy that me and Maria [Sakkari] have been doing a great job so far elevating the sport and keeping the hopes of Greek tennis alive," added Tsitsipas, referring to his compatriot Maria Sakkari, who lost in three tight sets in the semi-finals on Thursday.
Barbora Krejcikova has a chance to become the first woman since Mary Pierce in 2000 to sweep the singles and doubles trophies at Roland-Garros after the Czech advanced to the title decider alongside her compatriot Katerina Siniakova with a smooth 6-1, 6-2 victory over Magda Linette and Bernarda Pera.
Krejcikova, who moved into her first Grand Slam singles final with a gruelling win over Maria Sakkari on Thursday, will gunning for a third women's doubles major silverware on Sunday.
Siniakova and Krejcikova won Roland-Garros and Wimbledon together in 2018. Krejcikova will return to the No.1 spot in the doubles rankings should she triumph with her partner in two days' time.
2020 Roland-Garros singles champion Iga Swiatek and American two-time Roland-Garros women's doubles champion Bethanie Mattek-Sands will be Siniakova and Krejcikova's opponents in the final.
Swiatek, through to her first Grand Slam doubles final, and Mattek-Sands defeated Nadia Podoroska and Irina-Camelia Begu 6-3, 6-4 in 94 minutes.
In an all-French boys' singles semi-final showdown, Orange Bowl champion and No.14 seed Arthur Fils edged out his doubles partner Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard 3-6, 6-3, 7-6(5) to reach the first junior Grand Slam final of his young career.
On a historic day in Paris, where the entire boys' singles semi-finals line-up was comprised of French players for the first time in Grand Slam history, Fils battled past Mpetshi Perricard in two hours and nine minutes and will now take on Luca Van Assche, who defeated Sean Cuenin 7-5, 6-4.
The 16-year-old Fils, who reached the second round in men's qualifying at Roland-Garros two weeks ago, returns to the court later on Friday alongside Mpetshi Perricard to face Petr Nesterov and Viacheslav Bielinskyi in the boys' doubles semi-finals.
The title decider in Paris will be the first all-French boys’ singles final at Roland-Garros since 2002, when Richard Gasquet defeated Laurent Recouderc.
©Clément Mahoudeau/FFTLinda Noskova continued her giant-slaying run at Roland-Garros by following up her upset of top-seeded Victoria Jimenez Kasintseva with victory over fourth-seeded lefty Diana Shnaider 1-6, 6-3, 6-3, to become the first Czech player to reach the Roland-Garros girls’ singles final since Eva Sviglerova finished runner-up in Paris in 1989.
The 16-year-old, ranked 20 in the world junior rankings, is also still alive in the girls' doubles draw, where she is partnering Jimenez Kasintseva. They take on Maria Bondarenko and Amarissa Kiara Toth in the semi-finals later on Friday.
In the singles final, Noskova will take on another Russian, Erika Andreeva, who knocked out her ninth-seeded compatriot Oksana Selekhmeteva 2-6, 7-5, 7-6(0).
© Julien Crosnier/FFT
ROLAND-GARROS
20 May - 9 June 2024
