Roland Garros to see first-time women's champion
The women's semifinals are set in Paris and they feature four new faces, meaning a new Roland Garros winner and a first-time Grand Slam champion is guaranteed.
While there's outrage over the Friday court assignments—Johanna Konta takes on Marketa Vondrousova on Court Simmone-Mathiu and Amanda Anisimova faces Ashleigh Barty on Court Suzanne-Lenglen—the glory is still the same.
Here's a look at each player fighting for a spot in Saturday's final:
1
Johanna Konta
Konta is the most experienced of the quartet, having made the semifinals of the Australian Open in 2016 and Wimbledon in 2017. At 28, she's also the oldest. Though seeded No. 26 and facing unseeded Marketa Vondrousova, she's not the outright favorite. Konta had never won a main-draw match in Paris until 2019. She's looking to become the first British woman to reach the final since Sue Barker won the title in 1976.
2
Marketa Vondrousova
Vondrousova is the most unknown of the semifinalists. Turning 20 later this month, the Czech is making just her third appearance at Roland Garros. She has won two WTA titles, and reached two finals this year. She and fellow teen Anisimova are making history as the first two teens in a Slam semifinal since 2009 (when the US Open saw finalist Caroline Wozniacki and semifinalist Yanina Wickmayer).
3
Ashleigh Barty
Barty is about to crack the Top 5, but Friday will be her first-ever major semifinal appearance. She made the quarterfinals at the Australian Open in January in her previous best Slam run. The 23-year-old is the first Australian semifinalist at Roland Garros since 2016 (Samantha Stosur). Her rise to the top is made all the more impressive after having quit the game in 2014 for 18 months.
4
Amanda Anisimova
The youngest of the four, Anisimova is the youngest American semifinalist at a major since Venus Williams in 1997, and the youngest Slam semifinalist since Nicole Vaidisova at the 2007 Australian Open. The 17-year-old is the first player born in the 2000s—man or woman—to compete in a Grand Slam quarterfinal. Her ranking will rise inside the Top 30 for the first time come Monday. She faces Barty on Friday on Court Suzanne-Lenglen.
Follow Nina on Twitter @ninapantic1.
