Long wait over as Anastasia clinches place in semi-finals
Ten years after reaching her first grand slam quarter-final, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova made it through to the last four for the first time to set up a clash with Tamara Zidansek at the French Open.
The Russian was an exceptional junior and her breakthrough at Roland Garros as a 19-year-old seemed the first step to greater things.
But so far she has not managed to live up to the sky-high internal and external expectations of her, falling five more times in quarter-finals and never making it further.
She finally took that next step at the age of 29 thanks to a gruelling 6-7 (2), 6-2, 9-7 victory over Serena Williams' conqueror Elena Rybakina.
The young Kazakh did not serve as well as she had against Williams and a double fault on Pavlyuchenkova's first match point decided the contest after two hours and 33 minutes.
"I have always wanted to be in the semi-finals so much before that I think I have achieved it now and I am sort of, like, a neutral reaction," Pavlyuchenkova said.
"Of course I'm happy, but I feel like I'm doing my work, doing my job and there is still matches to go through, still work to be done.
"(I am) trying to enjoy this moment as much as I can, but not giving so much importance as well right now, just take in the present and then see."
Earlier, surprise package Zidansek prevailed in another dramatic tussle with Paula Badosa.
The Slovenian, who had never previously been beyond the second round at a grand slam, was the outsider of the unexpected quarter-final line-up but she held her nerve when it counted to win 7-5, 4-6, 8-6.
Zidansek looked poised for a more comfortable victory when she led by a set and a break but Badosa fought back
and led early in the decider. The Spaniard was also playing in her first slam quarter-final but she has won more matches than any other woman on clay this season and went into the tournament as a dark horse.
That pressure was evident for a set and a half, with Badosa struggling to play freely while Zidansek handled the occasion superbly.
The 23-year-old reached the final of a clay-court tournament in Colombia in April so had some form behind her but, at 85 in the rankings, she is certainly one of the more unexpected slam semi-finalists of reason years.
From a set and 4-2 down, Badosa began to make her power count and a run of six games in a row put her in the ascendancy. But back came Zidansek and a forehand winner gave her victory on her second match point after two hours and 26 minutes.
Zidansek looked stunned afterwards, and she said: "It feels overwhelming. It's hard to take it in this fast. But I'm just trying to focus on my game, on myself.
"Of course it was a great opportunity for the both of us to get into the semi-finals, but I guess I managed to keep my composure today a little bit better than her. But still, it was a tough battle in the end."
Zidansek, who was a champion snowboarder as a child, knocked out sixth seed Bianca Andreescu in the first round, and she added: "Winning the first round was a big breakthrough for me. I got a lot of confidence from that.
"I would say that my mindset was stay focused, be aggressive.
"I knew that I can do a lot of damage with my forehand. I've just got to get into the right position. That's exactly what I managed to do."
Joe Salisbury is one step away from becoming the first British player for nearly 40 years to win a French Open title in one of the main draws.
The 29-year-old progressed through to the final of the mixed doubles with American Desirae Krawczyk yesterday without taking to the court after opponents Juan Sebastian Cabal and Giuliana Olmos withdrew.
Salisbury and Krawczyk will play Russian duo Aslan
Karatsev and Elena Vesnina in the final.
Victory for Salisbury in the final would make him the first British champion at Roland Garros in one of the five main events since John Lloyd lifted the mixed doubles title with Australian Wendy Turnbull in 1982.
Salisbury said: "That would be pretty amazing, I didn't realise it was that long since somebody had won it.
"I wasn't really expecting to be in the final of the mixed this week. Obviously the focus was on the men's doubles, had a disappointing week here in that (losing in the second round) and
Salisbury one step away from ending 39-year wait for a British triumph on the Paris clay
just went out in the mixed pretty relaxed.
"If we lost we could then go home, practise on the grass, but it's great, we played well, won a couple of matches.
"Obviously it's a smaller draw this year so it seems a bit strange that we've only won two matches and we're in the final.
"Obviously there is more on it (now) and it would be great to win a slam in the mixed.
"We will try to play the same way as we did in the first couple of rounds."
It will be a first mixed doubles final at a grand slam for Salisbury and a third final overall after he
and Rajeev Ram claimed the men's doubles title at the Australian Open in 2020 and were the runners-up this year.
Krawczyk is also a doubles specialist and this will be her second slam final after
defeat in the women's doubles in Paris last year alongside Alexa Guarachi.
Salisbury said of their partnership: "It is similar to me and Rajeev, we get on well on and off the court, we enjoy playing together. She is a lefty so that has a bit of an advantage, it's a little tougher for some people to return a lefty's serve.
"Also we have played quite a few slams together. Often the mixed, you only play the slams, you don't play anything else in between, and a lot of people have a different partner.
"The fact we have played quite a few matches together obviously helps."