Top seed Aryna Sabalenka fought hard to defeat Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen with a 7-6 (7-3) 6-3 score in the 2025 French Open quarter-finals. The World No. 1 awaits Iga Swiatek or Elina Svitolina in the semifinals. With her triumph, Sabalenka joins an elite group of players with an impressive stat.
The Belarusian, who is arguably the favourite to win her first Paris title, has a 70% win rate in Grand Slams against WTA Top 10 opponents (with minimum 10 matches). Since 1990, only three players have a better rate: Steffi Graf (75.3%), Martina Navratilova (70.6%) and her next potential opponent, Swiatek (75%).
However, her win over Qinwen, who beat her for the first time in Rome this year, didn’t come easy.“That was a true battle – I have no idea how I was able to get back into that first set,” Sabalenka said after the match, in which she had to come back from a break down in the first set. “I was ready to leave everything I have on court to win.”
Despite the trouble, Sabalenka has yet to drop a set at Roland Garros. She arrived in Paris from winning three titles this year, including Madrid on clay, and reached the other two finals. While Swiatek has been the most dominant player at the French Open, the Belarussian is the one to beat.
On the other hand, this new semifinal is another proof of her consistency. She is the WTA player with the most Grand Slam semifinals (11) since the 2020, with Swiatek trailing behind with seven.
Sabalenka is determined to win the French Open
While the Belarussian has already won three majors, two Australian Open and one US Open, she still has to conquer Roland Garros and Wimbledon. “We’re all here for one reason. Everyone wants that beautiful trophy,” Sabalenka said after the match.
“I’m really glad I have another opportunity, another semifinal, to do better than I did last time,” she said, referring to her quarter-finals’ loss last year to Mirra Andreeva. “I really hope by the end of the clay court season this year, I’ll be very proud of myself,” she added.