Aryna Sabalenka has powered into her first-ever French Open final, but fans are asking: what happened to rising star Qinwen Zheng in this year’s headline matchups? Sabalenka, the world No., delivered a commanding performance in the semifinals, defeating four-time Roland Garros champion Iga Swiatek 7-6(1), 4-6, 6-0, snapping Swiatek’s 26-match winning streak at the tournament and ending her reign as the “Queen of Clay”.
Sabalenka’s path to the final included a routine quarterfinal win over Zheng Qinwen, who was unable to disrupt the Belarusian’s momentum on the Paris clay Sabalenka has not dropped a set before the semifinals and now stands one victory away from her first Grand Slam title on clay, after previous major wins on hard courts.
The final is set for Saturday, where Sabalenka will face American No. seed Coco Gauff. With her dominant third set against Swiatek—winning of the last 21 points—Sabalenka has established herself as the favorite for the title Tennis fans will be watching closely to see if Sabalenka can cap her breakthrough Roland Garros run with a historic win.
