French Open 2023: Beatriz Haddad Maia roars back to reach Roland-Garros semi-finals as Ons Jabeur wilts
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ByEurosport
Updated 07/06/2023 at 17:23 GMT
Beatriz Haddad Maia became the first Brazilian woman to reach a Grand Slam semi-final for 45 years as she stayed tough to beat Ons Jabeur. Jabeur was in the ascendency after dominating the first set but, as has happened repeatedly in her career, failed to carry her momentum to the finish. Haddad Maia will face either Iga Swiatek or Coco Gauff in the last four.
Haddad Maia v Jabeur - French Open highlights
Beatriz Haddad Maia battled back to reach the French Open semi-finals as Ons Jabeur unravelled on Court Philippe-Chatrier.
The Brazilian was second best in the first set but after hanging tough to force - and then win - a tie-break in the second, she raced home 3-6 7-6(5) 6-1.
Jabeur fell apart in the final set, most notably when she kicked a ball after thinking a serve was out, only to find it had caught the line and that her foot had ended the point prematurely.
It led to a double break as her hopes of reaching the last four faded away.
Haddad Maia, who is the first Brazilian woman to reach a Grand Slam singles semi-final in the Open Era, will next play either world No. 1 Iga Swiatek or Coco Gauff.
The 27-year-old had not progressed beyond the second round of a major before this tournament, and was pushed to the limit in the previous round as she won the longest WTA match of the year - a three-hour 51-minute epic against Sara Sorribes Tormo.
With that in mind it was perhaps not surprising that she started slowly against Jabeur, who had won their only previous tour meeting in April for the loss of just three games.
Jabeur won four of the opening five games and played positively to push her opponent around.
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'Oh my goodness!' - Jabeur has 'brain freeze' kicking ball away after serve lands in
The seventh seed clinched the set impressively with an ace followed by a strong forehand into the corner.
If the first set was lopsided - Jabeur finishing with 15 winners to six from Haddad Maia - then the second set was far tighter.
Jabeur looked impressive behind her serve and fired down a third love hold in a row to get to 5-5.
In the next game Jabeur looked to be within touching distance of the semi-finals as she got to 15-40.
But the seventh seed went wide with a backhand return from a second serve and lost the next point after good aggression from Haddad Maia with her forehand.
Haddad Maia held, and although she spurned a set point in the following game with an attacking return of serve, she did not miss when given another chance in the tie-break as she fired a winner down the line to take the set.
If Haddad Maia was tired from the previous round she did not show it, blazing her way to a 3-0 lead in the third set with two breaks of serve.
Jabeur looked off her game as she kicked a service return thinking the serve had landed out, but it was called in.
Two more breaks sealed the win for Haddad Maia as she became the first Brazilian woman to reach a women's singles semi-final in the Open era.
The other semi-final is between world No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka and Karolina Muchova.
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Corretja on how Haddad Maia beat Jabeur - 'She just moved the ball better'
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