Russian teenage phenom Mirra Andreeva broke new ground in her exceptional embryonic career by shocking Aryna Sabalenka in the quarter-finals to reach the French Open semis
At the tender age of 17, Andreeva delivered a masterclass in handling pressure after losing the first set from a winning position, succeeding 6-7[5] 6-4 6-4 in two hours and 29 minutes on Court Philippe-Chatrier.
Andreeva let one match point slip against the world number two - who cut a vexed figure all afternoon and also required medical attention at various points - but after bringing up a second opportunity with a scintillating backhand, a slick lob over Sabalenka's head punched her ticket to the last four.
The triumph over the reigning Australian Open champion marks a new zenith in Andreeva's fledgling career, having already made waves with a couple of fourth-round Grand Slam exits before matching a 27-year record in Paris.
Andreeva is now the youngest female player since Martina Hingis in 1997 to reach a Grand Slam semi-final, and not since Monica Seles against Steffi Graf in 1990 has a younger woman defeated one of the top-two ranked players on the planet in a major match.
Holds were few and far between in the first set, where Andreeva established a 5-3 lead before being broken while serving for the set, but losing a nerve-wracking tie-breaker did not faze the 2007-born starlet.
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Andreeva to face fellow first-time semi-finalist in last four
Andreeva immediately fell a set and a break down in the second, but she ruthlessly put away the break opportunities presented to her in the second and also recovered from suffering the first loss of serve in the decider to upset the second seed.
The Russian - who hit 43 winners compared to 25 unforced errors - will now cross paths with another first-time Grand Slam semi-finalist fresh from earning her own surprise win in the quarter-finals, butting heads with Elena Rybakina's conqueror Jasmine Paolini.
Before Andreeva benefitted from Sabalenka's inferior physical condition, the Italian 12th seed also capitalised on physical struggles on Rybakina's side to shock the ex-Wimbledon winner 6-2 4-6 6-4 in two hours and three minutes.
The tone for the opener was set with an immediate break for Paolini in the first game, but Rybakina kicked into gear in the second, twice fighting back from a break down and keeping her Roland-Garros hopes alive thanks to a flurry of aces.
Rybakina's astonishing grit was also on show in the decider, where she lost serve twice and responded with an immediate break back both times, but after fatally being broken to 15 in the penultimate game, her powers of recovery eluded her.
One of Andreeva and Paolini will proudly claim to be French Open finalists by the close of play on Thursday, where they will fight to meet reigning champion Iga Swiatek or Coco Gauff in the championship match.
Ben Knapton
