French Open: Swiatek reaches quarter-finals after scare while Sabalenka powers through

Iga Swiatek's reign on the clay courts of Roland Garros was given a scare by Elena Rybakina on Sunday before the four-time French Open champion emerged victorious once again.

The Pole fifth seed has struggled for form of late – failing to defend both her Madrid and Rome titles – and went into her favourite tournament ranked outside the top two for the first time since March 2022.

Swiatek came through the first three rounds in Paris without dropping a set, including a 6-1, 6-2 demolition of former US Open champion Emma Raducanu.

But that soon changed on Court Philipe Chatrier as she found herself a set and a break down against the 12th-seeded Kazakh.

Swiatek, though, showed her mettle by launching a comeback that ended in a 1-6, 6-3, 7-5 victory and keeps her on track for a fourth French Open title in a row.

“Well, it was tough,” said the 24-year-old who reached the quarter-finals for a sixth consecutive year. “First set, I felt like I was playing against Jannik Sinner.

“She really pushed me. I needed to do something to get back into the game – with her playing like that I didn't have a lot of hope.

“At the end, I was able to play my game, and I am super happy.”

Swiatek now holds a 5-4 head-to-head record over Rybakina, after claiming her first victory against the 25-year-old on the red dirt.

“I wouldn't say perfect,” added Swiatek when asked about her performance. “I don't think I have double-faulted three times in one game. It was not easy.

“We played pretty amazing. It is tough to play here, and it means a lot to win this match and I am through.”

Next up for Swiatek will be Elina Svitolina who survived three match points before overcoming last year's runner-up Jasmine Paolini 4-6, 7-6, 6-1.

The Italian fourth seed went into the match on the back of a career-best nine-match winning streak, including a run to the title on clay at the Italian Open.

And Paolini will be frustrated not to have maintained that momentum after missing a hat-trick of chances to beat the Ukrainian 18th seed and seal a last-eight spot.

“I would've never believed this match would swing my way,” Svitolina admitted. “It was a really difficult match, Jasmine was playing really, really well. It was really tough. I had to fight until the last point and I'm very happy to be in the next round.

“Of course it's one or two points which decided the second set. I was really pleased to win the second set and played really well to close the match.

“We are at a Grand Slam so everyone is playing very well and everyone is fighting. It's all about trying to stay focused and finding the opportunities.”

There were no such problems for world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka who reached her 10th consecutive Grand Slam quarter-final with a straight-sets win over Amanda Anisimova of the US.

The Belarusian battled through a tight opening set against the American 16th seed and then needed eight match points to clinch a 7-5, 6-3 victory on Court Suzanne Lenglen.

Sabalenka, who was the pre-tournament favourite, will face Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen in the last eight after the Chinese star edged past Russia's Liudmila Samsonova 7-6, 1-6, 6-3.

Zheng beat Sabalenka for the first time in their seven meetings in the Italian Open quarter-finals in the build-up to Roland Garros.

The Belarusian was knocked out at the same stage last year in Paris when she lost in three sets to Paolini.

“I definitely learnt the lessons from last year and will do my best to make sure I’m healthy and fit for the quarter-finals,” said the three-time Grand Slam champion.

“I'm super hungry for this tournament. I love this place and I want to stay here until the very last day. I'll go out and do my very, very best.”

LA LIGA FIXTURES

Friday

Granada v Real Betis (9.30pm)

Valencia v Levante (midnight)

Saturday

Espanyol v Alaves (4pm)

Celta Vigo v Villarreal (7pm)

Leganes v Real Valladolid (9.30pm)

Mallorca v Barcelona (midnight)

Sunday

Atletic Bilbao v Atletico Madrid (4pm)

Real Madrid v Eibar (9.30pm)

Real Sociedad v Osasuna (midnight)

Dust and sand storms compared

Sand storm

Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
Travel distance: Limited
Source: Open desert areas with strong winds

Dust storm

Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
Duration: Can linger for days
Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
Source: Can be carried from distant regions

The National's picks

4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young

Richard Jewell

Director: Clint Eastwood

Stars: Paul Walter Hauser, Sam Rockwell, Brandon Stanley

Two-and-a-half out of five stars

The Sand Castle

Director: Matty Brown

Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea

Rating: 2.5/5

DUBAI WORLD CUP CARNIVAL CARD

6.30pm Handicap US$135,000 (Turf) 2,410m

7.05pm UAE 1000 Guineas Listed $250,000 (Dirt) 1,600m

7.40pm Dubai Dash Listed $175,000 (T) 1,000m

8.15pm Al Bastakiya Trial Conditions $100,000 (D) 1.900m

8.50pm Al Fahidi Fort Group Two $250,000 (T) 1,400m

9.25pm Handicap $135,000 (D) 2,000m

The National selections

6.30pm: Gifts Of Gold

7.05pm Final Song

7.40pm Equilateral

8.15pm Dark Of Night

8.50pm Mythical Magic

9.25pm Franz Kafka

Specs

Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request

THE BIO

Born: Mukalla, Yemen, 1979

Education: UAE University, Al Ain

Family: Married with two daughters: Asayel, 7, and Sara, 6

Favourite piece of music: Horse Dance by Naseer Shamma

Favourite book: Science and geology

Favourite place to travel to: Washington DC

Best advice you’ve ever been given: If you have a dream, you have to believe it, then you will see it.

The candidates

Dr Ayham Ammora, scientist and business executive

Ali Azeem, business leader

Tony Booth, professor of education

Lord Browne, former BP chief executive

Dr Mohamed El-Erian, economist

Professor Wyn Evans, astrophysicist

Dr Mark Mann, scientist

Gina MIller, anti-Brexit campaigner

Lord Smith, former Cabinet minister

Sandi Toksvig, broadcaster

Conflict, drought, famine

Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.

Band Aid

Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.