Iga Swiatek booked her place in a second French Open final on Thursday as the world No 1 outclassed Russian Daria Kasatkina to extend her unbeaten run to 34 matches.
The 2020 Roland Garros champion cruised to a dominant 6-2, 6-1 semi-final victory in just 64 minutes on Court Philippe Chatrier – after listening to some music from Led Zeppelin to get herself in the mood.
Swiatek will equal Venus Williams' record for the longest women's winning run since 2000 if she wins Saturday's final against American teenager Coco Gauff.
"I'm so grateful. It's easier to play matches with this kind of support," Swiatek, who won 10 of the last 11 games, said afterwards.
"It's surprising this week how much they're supporting me.
"I try to treat every match in the same way because when I think about how it's the biggest match of the season so far, it stresses me out.
“So I just listen to music – Led Zeppelin, it really pumps me up – and use everything to help me.
"For sure I’m even more happy with the performance than after the previous match, because I feel like my game is getting more and more solid,” added Swiatek.
“I can really loosen up when I’m getting advantage and when I’m having a break, so that’s great. I feel like I’m playing better every match.
"It is a pretty special moment and emotional. I am grateful to be healthy and in that place."
The Paris breeze initially caught out Swiatek as she double-faulted the first point, and when Kasatkina scrambled an early break back for 2-2, another tough test looked on the cards.
But Kasatkina won just one more game while Swiatek took 20 of the last 23 points.
It will be the 21-year-old's second Grand Slam final, as she looks to win a sixth consecutive WTA title.
The Polish star has stormed up the rankings this season, moving from world No 7 to the summit during her remarkable run.
Swiatek hammered 22 winners past her opponent and she has still lost only one set in the tournament, against Chinese teenager Zheng Qinwen in the fourth round.
Kasatkina won her first clash with Swiatek on the Eastbourne grass last year, but has lost all four of their meetings in 2022 in straight sets, without winning more than five games in a match.
Swiatek will face Gauff on Saturday after the teenager eased into her maiden Grand Slam final with a straight-sets victory over Martina Trevisan.
The 18-year-old American claimed a 6-3, 6-1 win in a nervous match which saw both players featuring in a major semi-final for the first time.
"I think I'm a little bit in shock right now," said Gauff. "I didn't know how to react after the match. I'm lost for words.
"I have no words to describe how I feel, thank you for cheering me on.
"I've not been nervous all tournament which is surprising. In the morning I go for a walk and that clears my head and after that I feel great.
"When I play a player like her [Trevisan], you have to be patient. "
The players made 37 unforced errors between them in a poor first set before Gauff upped her game in the second.
The 18th seed will be a heavy underdog against Swiatek, but she will have nothing to lose as she bids to become the youngest Slam winner since Maria Sharapova stunned Serena Williams in London 18 years ago.
"I'm just going to go into it like another match," Gauff added.
"Yeah, it's a Grand Slam final but there are so many things going on in the world right now, especially in the US, so I don't think it's worth stressing about it."
The biog
Name: Abeer Al Bah
Born: 1972
Husband: Emirati lawyer Salem Bin Sahoo, since 1992
Children: Soud, born 1993, lawyer; Obaid, born 1994, deceased; four other boys and one girl, three months old
Education: BA in Elementary Education, worked for five years in a Dubai school
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies direct from Dubai to Rio de Janeiro from Dh7,000 return including taxes. Avianca fliles from Rio to Cusco via Lima from $399 (Dhxx) return including taxes.
The trip
From US$1,830 per deluxe cabin, twin share, for the one-night Spirit of the Water itinerary and US$4,630 per deluxe cabin for the Peruvian Highlands itinerary, inclusive of meals, and beverages. Surcharges apply for some excursions.
GOLF’S RAHMBO
- 5 wins in 22 months as pro
- Three wins in past 10 starts
- 45 pro starts worldwide: 5 wins, 17 top 5s
- Ranked 551th in world on debut, now No 4 (was No 2 earlier this year)
- 5th player in last 30 years to win 3 European Tour and 2 PGA Tour titles before age 24 (Woods, Garcia, McIlroy, Spieth)
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
CABINET%20OF%20CURIOSITIES%20EPISODE%201%3A%20LOT%2036
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The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
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Miguel Cotto world titles:
WBO Light Welterweight champion - 2004-06
WBA Welterweight champion – 2006-08
WBO Welterweight champion – Feb 2009-Nov 2009
WBA Light Middleweight champion – 2010-12
WBC Middleweight champion – 2014-15
WBO Light Middleweight champion – Aug 2017-Dec 2017
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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