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Aryna Sabalenka is aiming to extend her unbeaten run in Grand Slams in 2024 with Wednesday’s French Open quarter-final opponent Mirra Andreeva admitting the Belarusian is on “another level”.
Having won the Australian Open earlier this year, 26-year-old Sabalenka’s Slam record this year reads 11-0, and she has not lost a set across those 11 matches.
She has now dropped only 18 games in four matches at Roland Garros and moved into the last eight with a 6-2 6-3 win over Emma Navarro.
World number two Sabalenka, who has made the semi-finals or better in her last six Slam appearances, including titles at the past two Australian Opens,” said: “I’m super happy that I was able to bring this consistency on the Grand Slams.
“It’s motivating me a lot to keep pushing myself a lot and to see where is the limit.”
Russian Andreeva, 17, ended French hopes for another year with a 7-5 6-2 win over Varvara Gracheva.
Andreeva is set to move into the top 30 of the world rankings for the first time after reaching her first Slam quarter-final.
It continues a fantastic 12 months as she reached the last 16 at Wimbledon last summer and then thrashed three-time Slam finalist Ons Jabeur on her way to round four at the Australian Open earlier this year.
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However, Andreeva has been comfortably beaten in her two matches with Sabalenka, losing 6-3 6-1 in the last 16 of the Madrid Open in May 2022 and then 6-1 6-4 in the quarter-finals of the same event 12 months later.
“Of course we will add a few adjustments,” said Andreeva. “We will change something, because the way I played last two times didn’t work.
“She’s really experienced. She’s a player of another level, so I have to be prepared from the beginning. I hope my coach will help me with that and we’ll see how it goes.”
Sabalenka is the second seed and the top four seeds could all move into the semi-finals, with Poland’s top seed Iga Swiatek set to play American third seed Coco Gauff in their last-four tie.
Kazakhstan’s fourth seed Elena Rybakina, the 2022 Wimbledon champion, plays her quarter-final on Wednesday against Italian 12th seed Jasmine Paolini, who is enjoying her best run at a Slam.
Paolini came from a set down to beat unseeded Russian Elina Avanesyan 4-6 6-0 6-1 in the last 16.
De Minaur looks for another shock at the French Open
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Reigning Australian Open men’s singles champion Novak Djokovic was expected to be in action in his men’s quarter-final against Norwegian seventh seed Casper Ruud.
Ruud gets a walkover win into the semi-finals and will play the winner of the one men’s quarter-final tie to be played on Wednesday.
Each evening session of the French Open has seen a men’s match and that run will continue as German fourth seed Alexander Zverev takes on Australia’s Alex de Minaur, the 11th seed.
It could be another late finish for Zverev after a thrilling five-set win over Holger Rune in the last round ended at 1:40am local time.
Zverev, 27, is playing in Paris under the shadow of an ongoing trial in Berlin relating to allegations he assaulted an ex-girlfriend, which he denies.
The German is still hunting his first Grand Slam title and has fallen at the semi-final stage of the past three French Opens.
De Minaur defeated fourth seed Daniil Medvedev in round four to become the first Australian to reach the quarter-finals in Paris since Lleyton Hewitt in 2004.
For De Minaur, the boyfriend of Britain’s Katie Boulter, this will be his second Slam quarter-final having lost in three sets to eventual winner Dominic Thiem at the 2020 US Open.
Skupski and Krawczyk target final place
In the mixed doubles, Britain’s Neal Skupski and American partner Desirae Krawczyk play in the semi-finals against the seventh seeded pairing of Hsieh Su-Wei of Chinese Taipei and Poland’s Jan Zielinski.
Skupski and Krawczyk have twice won the Wimbledon mixed doubles event and reached the US Open final and this is their best run together in Paris, although Krawczyk won the French Open title with another Briton, Joe Salisbury, in 2021.
Salisbury is also in doubles action on Wednesday as he and American Rajeev Ram play in the men’s quarter-finals against Italian duo Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori.