We would have gotten away with the top four women meeting in the semis if it weren't for an unheralded Italian and a pesky meddling kid.
Shock
Imagine that. Your first time on the centre court at the French Open happens to be your first quarter-final at a Grand Slam tournament. Twelfth seed Jasmine Paolini appeared to be coping with the moment rather well until she probably saw the success heading her way. From 6-2, 4-3 and with two points for 5-3, she wobbled. Her opponent, Elena Rybakina, gained parity at 4-4 and won the next two games to claim the second set and come back from the almost dead. Paolini, 28, got the chance to serve for the match in the decider at 5-4 and she took it with some aplomb. "I told myself to stay there in every point," she explained to a suitably impressed Marion Bartoli in the on-court interview immediately after the match. "I told myself to forget what happened in the second set and that I could come back and fight again." Her next battle will be against the unseeded Russian Mirra Andreeva who beat the second seed Aryna Sabalenka in three sets.
Record
The quarter-final between 17-year-old Mirra Andreeva and Aryna Sabalenka was a see-saw battle. Andreeva served for the first set at 5-4 up lost that game and the subsequent tiebreak at six games apiece. She managed to win the second set, went a break down in the decider and came back to 3-3 and eventually pulled off a surprise win. Or at least she managed to profit from Sabalenka's distress. The 25-year-old Belarusian has been suffering from a stomach bug.
Sustainable
All of the food served in the Roland Garros stadium complex was vegetarian. Typical. On the day the review really fancied a juicy hamburger. Ho hum. There was vegetarian this and vegetarian that and all laid out for the paying public as part of World Environment Day. It was all done to highlight sustainable food practices.
Sustainable?
The 11th of the 11 night sessions took place. It was the quarter-final between 11th seed Alex de Minaur from Australia and the fourth seed Alexander Zverev. The 27-year-old German won in striaght sets to reach the semi finals for the fourth year on the trot. The night session has become imbued with an antediluvean aura. It is unsustainable.
Normality
And so farewell the nights. They're over for another year and depart amid controversy over the late endings – Novak Djokovic and Lorenzo Musetti at 3am and the 1.40am finish of Alexander Zverev and Holger Rune on Day 10 . Emerging from that is the concern for the health of the player who wins. He – for it is only men who have played – has to recover. Djokovic after his victory during the early hours of Day 8 was back on court at 4pm on Day 9 – some 37 hours later. Zverev at least had the luxury of playing the night match on Day 11 giving him 43 hours to get himself back in shape. Djokovic, 37, who had been seeking a fourth title in Paris and a 25th Grand Slam singles trophy, withdrew with a knee injury on Day 10. The money might be coming in from the TV deal but it's hard to be convinced it is buffing up the brand.
