Paris (AFP)
Rafael Nadal gave up his first set of the tournament on Wednesday before qualifying for his 14th semi-final at Roland Garros, while defending champion Iga Swiatek was stunned by the power of Maria Sakkari, leaving a very unexpected women's final four. .
The last men's quarter Djokovic-Berrettini was scheduled for the evening, this last night game of the 2021 edition finally welcoming a few thousand spectators thanks to the reduction of the curfew to 11:00 p.m.
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Swiatek to the mat
After eliminating the last finalist Sofia Kenin (5th in the world) in the round of 16, Sakkari (18th) disposed of the defending champion, 6-4, 6-4, to reach her first Grand Slam semi-final at 25. .
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Swiatek (9th), who had flown over the autumn 2020 edition without losing a single set, continued until then.
The Polish had still not lost a single round to arrive in the quarterfinals and the table having shed its other headliners, she was more than ever favorite to her own succession.
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She was also the last player of the World Top 10 still in contention so that after her elimination, for the first time in the Open era (1968), there is not a single top ten seed in the last Parisian square.
But Sakkari had a plan and, far from giving in to emotion, applied it to the letter.
"I will not say what was my game plan because I will play against her again and therefore I do not want to divulge my secrets", explained the Greek whose "dream comes true" but who wants more.
“There is still a long way to go, but we have taken a big step forward today,” she said.
She will try Thursday to take a further step and reach the final by facing Barbora Krejcikova (33rd).
The 25-year-old Czech also qualified for her first major half by dismissing the young American Coco Gauff (25th) 7-6 (8/6), 6-3.
"I don't realize. I arrived here after winning in Strasbourg, which was very nice, but I never imagined that I would be here today, on this court, especially in singles," he said. she recognized.
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Winner of Roland-Garros 2018 in doubles with her compatriot Katerina Siniakova, she reached Saturday for the second consecutive year the round of 16 in singles, which remained to this day her best result in Grand Slam.
The semi-final at the bottom of the table, which took shape on Monday, is just as surprising since it will also oppose two newcomers at this level in Major, Anna Pavlyuchenkova (32nd) and Tamara Zidansek (85th).
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While waiting for a half Nadal-Djokovic
The long-awaited duel since the draw was to take shape in the evening.
Nadal (3rd) disposed of Diego Schwartzman (10th) by giving him a set, before regaining full control of the game to win 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-0.
"I started the second set badly. I came back to 4-4, but I again played the return game badly and I knew it would be difficult to keep my serve", analyzed the Spaniard in quest for a 14th coronation at Roland Garros, which would be synonymous with a record 21st title in Major.
The King of the Earth signed a 104th tournament victory against Schwartzman (for two losses).
He always won there when he reached the semi-finals.
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Djokovic (N.1) must face him the Italian colossus Matteo Berrettini (9th) at night and in public.
The Serbian had a complicated round of 16 where he was led two sets to zero by Lorenzo Musetti (76th), while the Italian took advantage of Roger Federer's forfeit.
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Roland resumed colors
The tournament benefited from a relaxation of health rules on Wednesday: the audience rating was significantly increased (up to 13,000 people during the day) and the curfew having been pushed back from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m., the last night game of this edition. can be played in front of 5,000 spectators.
It had been two years since we had heard a referee ask for silence on the Philippe-Chatrier court.
Whoever officiated for quarterback Sakkari-Swiatek was forced to do so as the crowd pushed the struggling Pole.
© 2021 AFP