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The Roland Garros semifinals are taking shape as the tournament barrels towards the finish line. In women’s action, Martina Trevisan (UTR Rating 12.23) and Coco Gauff (12.87) will play each other in their first Grand Slam semifinal appearance. In men’s news, Alexander Zverev ended Carlos Alcaraz’s bid to set up a blockbuster semifinal against Rafael Nadal (16.11).
Nadal will get two well-deserved days off after taking out defending champion Djokovic, 6-2, 4-6, 6-2, 7-6(4), in their 59th career meeting. With the victory, the 35-year-old Spaniard avenged a semifinal loss to the Serbian at last year's Roland Garros.
Let's take a closer look at what has happened and what's still to come with intel from Universal Tennis INSIGHTS,
Trevisan and Gauff Set the Stage
With a 6-2, 6-7(3), 6-3 win over 19-year-old Leylah Fernandez, Trevisan is the first Italian to reach the final four in Paris since 2013. The 28-year-old was a surprise quarterfinalist at Roland Garros in 2020 as a qualifier. Against Fernandez on Tuesday, Trevisan had a match point in the second set but failed to convert.
"I was very nervous on that first match point, I thought I was already in the semifinal," Trevisan said. "That's normal so I readjusted. I came here from Rabat with a lot of energy. It was my first title and it was a very emotional moment for me."
Despite her unseeded entry, Trevisan came into this fortnight on the heels of a WTA title in Rabat, putting her on a 10-match win streak going into Thursday's clash with Gauff.
Gauff took out fellow American Sloane Stephens 7-5, 6-2 to reach her maiden Grand Slam semifinal. The 18-year-old is favored to reach the final over Trevisan at 82%, per INSIGHTS. Gauff, the No. 18 seed, has the better UTR Ratings (including clay UTR and three-month trending UTR), better win-loss record, and more wins versus common opponents. She has yet to lose a set in Paris.
“I believe in myself," Gauff said on court. "Even last year, I was too focused on trying to fulfill other people’s expectations. I know no matter how good or bad my career is, I know I’m a good person, so I think that’s a good message for young people. ... Just know: If you love yourself, who cares what anyone else thinks?”
final four🤍💪🏾 @rolandgarros pic.twitter.com/SJ5J1PwY4G
— Coco Gauff (@CocoGauff) May 31, 2022
While Gauff is ranked No. 23 on the WTA Tour, her UTR Pro Tennis Tour (PTT) ranking (based on UTR Rating) is No. 17. Trevisan’s rating tells a different story as she’s ranked No. 59 on the WTA but No. 103 on PTT. In their only career meeting, Trevisan topped the teen in the second round of Roland Garros in 2020.
Quarterfinals Still to Take the Court
The two remaining women’s quarterfinals will take place on Wednesday with top seed Iga Swiatek (13.39) facing Jessica Pegula (12.94), and Daria Kasatkina (12.83) taking on Veronika Kudermetova (12.71). Swiatek is favored to move on at 72%, having beaten the 28-year-old American in the Miami semifinals.
Swiatek is riding a 32-match win streak and has lost just one set this fortnight, to Zheng Qinwen on Monday. At just 21 years old, the Pole is the most experienced player left in the draw as the only one that’s been to a major semifinal before (in Melbourne this year and on her way to winning in Paris in 2020).
Kasatkina has the INSIGHTS edge over Kudermetova at 57%, beating the 25-year-old in St. Petersburg last year. Kasatkina is seeking her first Grand Slam semifinal after having reached the quarterfinal stage three times (Roland Garros 2022 and 2018, and Wimbledon 2018). This is by far Kudermetova’s best major performance, having never gone beyond the third round before.
The remaining men’s quarterfinals on Wednesday will see No. 7 seed Andrey Rublev (15.77) take on 33-year-old Marin Cilic (15.68) and Casper Ruud try to end the breakthrough run of 19-year-old Holger Rune (15.60).
Stay tuned for more from INSIGHTS, and to learn more about Universal Tennis, click here.
•UTR Ratings and INSIGHTS probabilities as of 8 p.m. EST, May 31, 2022.