Holand's Iga Swiatek beat American sixth seed Coco Gauff by 6-4 6-2 in the quarter-final to reach the semi-finals in the ongoing French Open.
Swiatek has adopted a more ruthless approach to her title defence dishing out four bagels in as many rounds but the Pole found the going tougher against a determined Gauff in the see-sawing opening set on Court Philippe Chatrier.
After drawing first blood, she allowed Gauff to hit back and level up at 3-3 by crashing a volley into the net before getting back on track to take the advantage in the clash with a superb crosscourt winner.
Swiatek took a tumble at the net after nearly being struck by a Gauff rocket before producing a tight hold for a 2-1 lead in the next set and dusted herself off to grab another break with a perfectly placed lob.
The top seed will take on Brazil's Beatriz Haddad Maia in the last four as she continues her bid for a third crown in four years at Roland Garros and her fourth Grand Slam title overall.
- Additional input from Reuters