French Open 2017, Day 10 as it happened: Timea Bacsinszky, Jelena Ostapenko reach semi-finals

Before we say goodbye, here’s our image of the day.  A very emotional Timea Bacsinszky after her win. It’s been a very difficult year for the Swiss player, but she has redeemed it with another semi-final appearance at Roland Garros.

Here’s the Order of Play for Wednesday! It’s going to be one hectic, packed and entertaining day. 

Court Philippe Chatrier (11.00 AM local/2.30 PM IST)

Men’s Singles – Quarter-finals

Pablo Carreno Busta (ESP x20) v Rafael Nadal (ESP x4) 

Not before 2.00 PM local (5.30 PM IST)

Women’s Singles – Quarter-finals

Caroline Garcia (FRA x28) v Karolina Pliskova (CZE x2)

Men’s Singles – Quarter-finals

Andy Murray (GBR x1) v Kei Nishikori (JPN x8)

Court Suzanne Lenglen (11.00 AM local/2.30 PM IST)

Men’s Singles – Quarter-finals

Dominic Thiem (AUT x6) v Novak Djokovic (SRB x2)

Not before 2.00 PM local (5.30 PM IST)

Women’s Singles – Quarter-finals

Elina Svitolina (UKR x5) v Simona Halep (ROM x3)

Men’s Singles – Quarter-finals

Stan Wawrinka (SUI x3) v Marin Cilic (CRO x7)

Ostapenko enters first Grand Slam semi-final

Teenager Jelena Ostapenko advanced to the semi-finals of the French Open by rallying past former No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki, 4-6, 6-2, 6-2.

Ostapenko is the first woman from Latvia to make it to a Grand Slam semi-final in the professional era. At age 19, the 47th-ranked Ostapenko is also the youngest player in the tournament.

As she often has since the start of the tournament, Ostapenko took many risks, hitting 38 winners to make up for her 50 unforced errors on court Suzanne Lenglen.

That dangerous approach paid dividends as she hit a crosscourt forehand winner then a backhand down the line to break for 5-2 in the decider. She served out the match at love.

The last teenager to advance to the semi-finals at Roland Garros was Ana Ivanovic 10 years ago. Ostapenko also celebrates her birthday on Thursday.

Here’s a recap of the first women’s quarter-final:

Timea Bacsinszky will celebrate her 28th birthday by playing in the semi-finals of the French Open after a straight-set victory over home favorite Kristina Mladenovic.

Bacsinszky beat 13th-seeded Mladenovic 6-4, 6-4 in a match which was twice delayed by rain.

Mladenovic appeared to deal better with the initial delay. She fought off break point to hold at the start of the second set and then immediately broke.

But Bacsinszky broke back. The Swiss player then won 12 of the 15 points before rain started falling again.

Bacsinszky almost dropped her serve but held on and won the match when Mladenovic hit a forehand wide.

So, one of Timea Bacsinszky or Jelena Ostapenko will reach her first Grand Slam final.

The semi-final will be on her Ostapenko’s 20th birthday. What an occasion that is going to be!

19-year-old Jelena Ostapenko makes her 1st Grand Slam semi-final with a 4-6, 6-2, 6-2 win over Caroline Wozniacki.

Meanwhile, Ostapenko is racing away with the third set!

She is obliterating Wozniacki’s serves, and she breaks for a 5-2 lead in the third.

30th seed Timea Bacsinszky defeats 13th seed Kristina Mladenovic 6-4, 6-4 to mae the French Open semi-finals!

Ostapenko breaks for 3-2

The 19-year-old has taken the lead in this deciding third set. She is three games away from her 3rd straight win over Caroline Wozniacki and a spot in the Roland Garros semi-finals.

Bacsinszky and Mladenovic hold apiece and now the Swiss woman will serve for a place in the semi-final!

Play set to resume once again!

The skies have cleared up and the players are back on court, warming up. 

It finally looks like we might see at least one of these matches reach an end.

Sigh. Just when we thought we could get through the women’s matches today.

PLAY SUSPENDED AGAIN

The covers are quickly back on the courts as it starts to rain once again at Roland Garros. Both the women’s quarter-finals have been suspended. 

Scores when play was halted:

Mladenovic 4-6, 3-4* Bacsinszky 

Ostapenko 4-6, 6-2, *1-2 Wozniacki

Wozniacki holds for 2-1

Wozniacki saves a break point and doesn’t give in to some brutal hitting from Ostapenko. 

The Latvian committed three unforced errors – two off the backhand – amd missed a big opportunity.

Bacsinszky breaks for 4-2

Poor game from Mladenovic and she is unable to hold serve. A few more errors creeping into her game and she’s missing the lines by a hug margin.

Bacsinszky just TWO games away from progressing to the Roland Garros semi-finals.

Stat time! Numbers from the second set between Ostapenko and Wozniacki. 

3-3 between Mladenovic and Bacsinszky

Meanwhile, on Phillipe-Chatrier, both Bacsinszky and Mladenovic have exchanged breaks to and it’s 3-3 in the second set. 

Mladenovic indicating that it is getting darker by the minute, making it difficult to play. 

It is extremely overcast and daylight is quickly fading.

Here’s that splendid set point from Ostapenko! 

Jelena Ostapenko closes off the second set in style. 4-6, 6-2.

The 19-year-old hits a sublime backhand winner down the line at 30-30 to get to set point. She comes up with some amazing defence to return a backhand down the line from Wozniacki and she converts her set point.

On to the 3rd set we go!

Jelena Ostapenko wins the 2nd set 6-2 after play resumes. We are going to a decider in this women’s quarter-final.

Play resumes and Mladenovic holds for 2-1. 

Mladenovic saves the break point she was facing with a huge cross-court forehand winner. 

Bacsinszky sends a return long and it’s advantage for the Frenchwoman. 

Another deuce, and then Mladenovic hits a fine drop shot to bring up game point again. 

She holds for 2-1.

The players are back on court and warming up!

Kristina Mladenovic trails 4-6, *1-1 against Timea Bacsinszky.

Jelena Ostapenko will serve for the second set at 5-2, after dropping the opener 4-6 to Caroline Wozniacki.

Now that’s a sight for sore eyes!

Courts have been uncovered! Women’s matches hopefully to resume soon.

Some good news after the bleak day!

Don’t forget, it’s gala time at the French Open with the world champions’ dinner taking place in Paris later on Tuesday.

Andy Murray and Angelique Kerber, who sealed the year-end No 1 rankings last year, will receive their awards from the International Tennis Federation at the Pavillon Cambon Capucines in downtown Paris.

Former Spanish players Sergio Casal and Emilio Sanchez will also be honored with the Philippe Chatrier Award “for their services to the game as players and coaches.”

They first teamed up in 1984 and won 44 tournaments together, including two Grand Slam titles. They later opened the Sanchez-Casal Academy in Barcelona.

Updated schedule for tomorrow

UPDATE: Men’s matches cancelled for the day.

Dominic Thiem vs Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal vs Carreno Busta postponed until tomorrow.

One more update: The time for play to resume has been further pushed back. No play before 10.00 PM IST (6.30 PM local time)

Here’s a recap of what’s happened so far on Day 10:

No 30 Timea Bacsinszky of Switzerland was leading 13th-seeded Kristina Mladenovic of France 6-4, 1-1 at Court Philippe Chatrier, while No 11 Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark was leading unseeded 19-year-old Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia 6-4, 2-5 at Court Suzanne Lenglen. 

Here’s hoping play resumes soon. 

The men’s quarter-finals are still to come after these two matches are over. If they get over today.

No play before 9.30 PM IST. Another half an hour’s wait at the minimum. 

Meanwhile, there’s plenty happening in the world of tennis off-court…

Davis Cup singles matches would be reduced to best-of-three-sets instead of the current best-of-five under a proposal recommended by the International Tennis Federation board of directors.

Davis Cup doubles matches will remain best-of-five.

Other possible changes that will be voted on in August include that Davis Cup and Fed Cup finalists will have the right to host first-round matches the following year, and the costs paid by host nations will be cut.

Could we finally have some play?

UPDATE: IT’S STILL RAINING IN PARIS.

Matches will not begin before 5:30 local time, which is 9 PM IST.

Update: No play before 4:45 local time, which is in about 40 minutes. Fingers crossed!

Covers are still on. Doesn’t look like play is starting any time soon. 

Update: No play before 4 PM local time.

It’s 3:45 PM right now in Paris, so hopefully, play can get under way in another 15 minutes.

Sigh!

Play suspended due to rain

Jelena Ostapenko was about to serve for the second set at 5-3 when play was called off due to a heavy shower.

On Philippe-Chatrier, the score is 6-4, 1-1.

Jelena Ostapenko is pumped up!

Here are the first set stats from the Mladenovic-Bacsinszky match.

In the other women’s quarter-final, Ostapenko has taken a 3-2 lead 

After three straight breaks of serve, it’s the Latvian who has surged ahead. Wozniacki suffering a bit of a let down after the first set. Ostapenko is simply pounding the ball for winners.

Timea Bacsinszky holds tough to win the opening set 6-4 over Kristina Mladenovic in 64 minutes.

Timea Bacsinszky wins opening set 6-4

Wide kicker serve from Bacsinszky and she wins her first point while serving for the set. 

She goes up 30-0 but then two unforced errors help Mladenovic find her way back in the game. 

At 30-30, Mladenovic plays a fabulous point to put Bacsinszky on the run and earn a break point. 

Kiki, as the Frenchwoman is known fondly, dumps a backhand in the net and it’s deuce. Another unforced error gives the Swiss woman a set point and she seals it with an ace.

Bacsinszky breaks for 5-4

Bacsinszky wins the longest rally of the match so far – 22 shots! 

Afte rtwo deuces, Bacsinszky sets up her third break point of the game with a lethal backhand and then wins the ext point for 5-4.

Take a look at the stats from the Wozniacki-Ostapenko opening set. Just way too many unforced errors from Ostapenko.

Wozniacki 6-4 Ostapenko

After all that work to come back from 5-0 down, the Latvian couldn’t hold serve. Ostapenko committed 3 unforced errors and then threw in a double fault to gift the first set to Wozniacki. 

Wozniacki is just one set away from making her maiden Roland Garros semi-final.

Caroline Wozniacki takes opening set 6-4 over Jelena Ostapenko in 46 minutes.

Mladenovic breaks back! 4-4

The crowd is firmly behind Mladenovic and she manages to break back and level the opening set. The drop shots are still not working for the home favourite though.

Ostapenko is back from the dead

Ostapenko has settled down, the wind isn’t quite as gusty anymore and she is able to hit winners freely. She wins four games in a row to bring the opening set back on serve. 4-5. What a turnaround this has been.

Two service holds apiece for Bacsiszky and Mladenovic and it’s 4-3

Mladenovic is beginning to find her groove in the quarter-final. She’s also been aided by the fact that the wind has died down considerably. The Frenchwoman is still down a break.

What a crucial hold from Ostapenko to make it 3-5

The 19-year-old Latvian saved two set points to stay alive in the first set. She’s clawed her way back into it — from 0-5 to 3-5.

Ostapenko breaks, Bacsinszky breaks!

Ostapenko creates two more break chances at 15-40 but can’t convert. With a forehand drive winner on deuce, she earns another break point. She makes the most of a short ball off the netcord and puts it away a backhand down the line. She now trails 2-5 in the opener.

Mladenovic plays two really unsuccessful drop shots from the baseline and pays the price for it. Bacsinszky breaks once again to make it 3-2.

Ostapenko gets on the board! 5-1.

Ostapenko finally gets on the board with a hold at 15. The sun has come out and the wind has died down a little. 

The Latvian teen is up to 18 unforced errors in six games played. Wozniacki has just five.

Mladenovic breaks back for 2-2, Wozniacki makes it 5-0

Two contrasting quarter-finals so far. 

Mladenovic has found a way to level things in the opening set while Wozniacki is absolutely running away with her match.

Uh oh. It’s not looking good at Roland Garros

Mladenovic wrestles out a tough hold, 1-2

Another long game that went to deuce, but this time Mladenovic uses her forehand well to avoid a double break.

Ostapenko in trouble, trails 0-4

Wozniacki is playing very smart, hitting balls into the middle of the court. She saves THREE break points to make it 3-0.

In the next game, Ostapenko is broken again. She’s struggling a lot in the conditions, can’t get her feet moving at all.

Quite a challenge for players to serve in such windy conditions

Bacsinszky makes it 2-0

It’s super windy which is making it extremely difficult for players to hit their shots properly.

Mladenovic stopped between points to shield her eyes from the clay being whipped up.

After a long service game with two deuces, Bacsinszky holds for 2-0. Mladenovic can’t control her groundstrokes yet. She will need to make an adjustment quickly.

Bacsinszky leads 1-0, Wozniacki leads 2-0

Early breaks in both the matches. 

Error-strewn games from Mladenovic and Ostapenko to hand breaks to their opponents.

Ready? Play! 

Super windy conditions which could be an issue for big-hitters.

The players are out on court! Play to begin shortly. 

Kristina Mladenovic vs Timea Bacsinszky on Philippe-Chatrier Court

Caroline Wozniacki vs Jelena Ostapenko on Suzanne-Lenglen Court

UPDATE: The rains seem to have cleared up and we will have action starting on time. It’s really windy in Paris, and let’s hope the rains stay away for the rest of the day.

Head-to-head stats:

Teenager Jelena Ostapenko has never made the semi-final stage of a Grand Slam, but she has an excellent chance of doing so on Tuesday — she has a perfect 3-0 winning record against her opponent Caroline Wozniacki.

In the other women’s quarter-final, both Kristina Mladenovic and Timea Bacsinszky have one win each in their head-to-head record. 

Both Dominic Thiem and Pablo Carreno Busta will be looking for their first wins over Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal respectively. Djokovic leads 5-0 over the Austrian while Nadal leads 3-0 over Carreno Busta.

French Open 2017: Rains threaten to disrupt quarter-final action on Tuesdayhttp://www.firstpost.com

So, the quarter-finals are scheduled to start at 5:30 PM IST, just about an hour and a half from now. But this is the current scene at Roland Garros. Does mot look good at all. 

Breaking down the quarter-final line-ups:

In the men’s section, out of the projected quarter-finalists, only Milos Raonic is the one who failed to make it to the last-eight. And the Canadian was on the losing end of a high-quality, tight five-setter that ended 8-6 in Pablo Carreno Busta’s favour. 

The women’s draw presents a different picture. Only three women from the projected quarter-finalists actually made it to the last-eight and they are all in the bottom half — Simona Halep, Elina Svitolina and Karolina Plsikova. But when you actually look at the records of all the quarter-finalists, you realise that things really aren’t as chaotic as projected. 

None of the eight players left in that field has ever won a Grand Slam tournament, but they do include three Junior Slam winners. Here are the quarter-finalists: five of them are in the top-10 in the WTA Race (Svitolina, Pliskova, Halep, Wozniacki and Mladenovic); Timea Bacsisnszky is in her third straight quarter-final here; 19-year-old Jelena Ostapenko is a rising young star and Caroline Garcia is finally living up to her potential. 

Looking at both the QF line-ups, I know the one that definitely feels more exciting to me.

French Open women’s singles quarter-finals line-up:

Jelena Ostapenko (LAT) v Caroline Wozniacki (DEN #11)

Kristina Mladenovic (FRA #13) v Timea Bacsinszky (SUI #30)

Elina Svitolina (UKR #5) v Simona Halep (ROM #3)

Caroline Garcia (FRA #28) v Karolina Pliskova (CZE #2)

French Open men’s singles quarter-finals line-up:

Andy Murray (GBR #1) v Kei Nishikori (JPN #8)

Stan Wawrinka (SUI #3) v Marin Cilic (CRO #7)

Pablo Carreno Busta (ESP #20) v Rafael Nadal (ESP #4)

Dominic Thiem (AUT #6) v Novak Djokovic (SRB #2)

Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the French Open! We have reached the business end of the second Slam of the year and it’s quarter-finals day at Roland Garros! Stay tuned for live scores and regular updates for the matches through the day.