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."
Washmen Profile
Date Started: May 2015
Founders: Rami Shaar and Jad Halaoui
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Laundry
Employees: 170
Funding: about $8m
Funders: Addventure, B&Y Partners, Clara Ventures, Cedar Mundi Partners, Henkel Ventures
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Avatar%20(2009)
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Dhadak 2
Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
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OPINIONS ON PALESTINE & ISRAEL
Notable salonnières of the Middle East through history
Al Khasan (Okaz, Saudi Arabia)
Tamadir bint Amr Al Harith, known simply as Al Khasan, was a poet from Najd famed for elegies, earning great renown for the eulogy of her brothers Mu’awiyah and Sakhr, both killed in tribal wars. Although not a salonnière, this prestigious 7th century poet fostered a culture of literary criticism and could be found standing in the souq of Okaz and reciting her poetry, publicly pronouncing her views and inviting others to join in the debate on scholarship. She later converted to Islam.
Maryana Marrash (Aleppo)
A poet and writer, Marrash helped revive the tradition of the salon and was an active part of the Nadha movement, or Arab Renaissance. Born to an established family in Aleppo in Ottoman Syria in 1848, Marrash was educated at missionary schools in Aleppo and Beirut at a time when many women did not receive an education. After touring Europe, she began to host salons where writers played chess and cards, competed in the art of poetry, and discussed literature and politics. An accomplished singer and canon player, music and dancing were a part of these evenings.
Princess Nazil Fadil (Cairo)
Princess Nazil Fadil gathered religious, literary and political elite together at her Cairo palace, although she stopped short of inviting women. The princess, a niece of Khedive Ismail, believed that Egypt’s situation could only be solved through education and she donated her own property to help fund the first modern Egyptian University in Cairo.
Mayy Ziyadah (Cairo)
Ziyadah was the first to entertain both men and women at her Cairo salon, founded in 1913. The writer, poet, public speaker and critic, her writing explored language, religious identity, language, nationalism and hierarchy. Born in Nazareth, Palestine, to a Lebanese father and Palestinian mother, her salon was open to different social classes and earned comparisons with souq of where Al Khansa herself once recited.
Wenger's Arsenal reign in numbers
1,228 - games at the helm, ahead of Sunday's Premier League fixture against West Ham United.
704 - wins to date as Arsenal manager.
3 - Premier League title wins, the last during an unbeaten Invincibles campaign of 2003/04.
1,549 - goals scored in Premier League matches by Wenger's teams.
10 - major trophies won.
473 - Premier League victories.
7 - FA Cup triumphs, with three of those having come the last four seasons.
151 - Premier League losses.
21 - full seasons in charge.
49 - games unbeaten in the Premier League from May 2003 to October 2004.
THE CLOWN OF GAZA
Director: Abdulrahman Sabbah
Starring: Alaa Meqdad
Rating: 4/5
All%20We%20Imagine%20as%20Light
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The 10 Questions
- Is there a God?
- How did it all begin?
- What is inside a black hole?
- Can we predict the future?
- Is time travel possible?
- Will we survive on Earth?
- Is there other intelligent life in the universe?
- Should we colonise space?
- Will artificial intelligence outsmart us?
- How do we shape the future?
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
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Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
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Price: On request
The low down
Producers: Uniglobe Entertainment & Vision Films
Director: Namrata Singh Gujral
Cast: Rajkummar Rao, Nargis Fakhri, Bo Derek, Candy Clark
Rating: 2/5