In the women's draw, the world N.1 Iga Swiatek is well at the rendezvous and is only one match away from the long-awaited final against the N.2 Aryna Sabalenka. To achieve this, she will have to dismiss the surprising Brazilian Beatriz Haddad (14th) on Thursday.

For his part, Zverev has recorded his return to the highest level: a year after twisting his right ankle very violently, the German has again climbed into the last four by dismissing the unexpected Argentine Tomas Etcheverry (49th) 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.

"I'm in the semi-finals of Roland Garros and I'm very happy! As I said before, last year was the hardest of my life. That's why I'm so happy to be back. I'm coming back on Friday (for his semi-final) and I couldn't be happier," said the 26-year-old.

Last year, he was making life difficult for Nadal when he was injured. Two days later, the Spaniard won his 14th Parisian title.

The injury kept him out of the loop for the rest of the 2022 season and he had yet to string up four straight tournament wins since returning in early 2023.

Poland's Iga Swiatek has just beaten American Coco Gauff in the quarterfinals of Roland-Garros on June 7, 2023 in Paris © Emmanuel DUNAND / AFP

At Roland-Garros, he is at five and will play his third semifinal in a row with his sights set on a first Major final since the 2020 US Open.

"Not finished"

"My tournament is not over," he insisted after qualifying on Wednesday. I'm certainly happy to have arrived here, but I hope I still have two games to play. And they won't be any easier" than against Etcheverry who took his first set of the tournament.

First, he will face Norwegian Casper Ruud (4th) on Friday, who defeated Danish prodigy Holger Rune (6th) 6-1, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3.

"I'm relieved... I wanted to play relaxed, but it was very difficult," said Ruud, adding that he "played at a high level" in the three sets he won, even though Rune "gave him a lot of free points" in the first two, presumably because he "didn't feel good".

Germany's Alexander Zverev during his Roland Garros quarterfinal against Argentina's Tomas Martin Etcheverry on June 7, 2023 in Paris © JULIEN DE ROSA / AFP

"He was the favourite because he had a better start to the season than me, but I really wanted to get back to the semis," added the 2022 finalist.

The other half will offer the long-awaited clash between the two big favorites in the absence of Rafel Nadal, the Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz (N.1) and the Serbian Novak Djokovic (3rd), who qualified on Tuesday.

On the women's side, Swiatek overpowered American Coco Gauff (6th) 6-4, 6-2 in the repeat of the 2022 final, to join Haddad in the semis, victorious against all odds of Tunisia's Ons Jabeur (7th) 3-6, 7-6 (7/5), 6-1.

In the event of a loss to Haddad on Thursday, Swiatek would give up the world No. 1 spot in Sabalenka, whether she beats Czech Karolina Muchova in the semis or not, on Monday when the new WTA rankings are released.

"Fresh"

Brazil's Beatriz Haddad Maia during her Roland Garros quarterfinal against Tunisia's Ons Jabeur on June 7, 2023 in Paris © Thomas SAMSON / AFP

"I'm quite fresh physically, I haven't spent too much time on court in my previous matches, I'm ready to play again tomorrow (Thursday)," said the Pole.

The conclusion is clear for Gauff: the 19-year-old American lost in her seven confrontations against the native of Warsaw, without winning a single set.

A surprise occurred at the beginning of the day on Court Philippe-Chatrier when Jabeur, finalist of Wimbledon and the US Open last year, was knocked down by Haddad, the surprise guest of these quarters.

La Paulista became the first Brazilian to buy a ticket to the last four of the Paris Grand Slam since the beginning of the Open era (1968). All while having never passed the second round of a Major.

At 27 years old, the left-hander signs the greatest feat of arms of her career, hampered by four operations and a ten-month suspension for a positive anabolic control in July 2019. His lawyers had at the time managed to prove that it was a mistake of the pharmacy that provided him with dietary supplements.

© 2023 AFP