Fernandez and Zhu secure shot to dethrone dominant Oda and de Groot
Gustavo Fernandez, 30, and Zhu Zhenzhen, 34, have raised the bar within themselves to reach their respective singles finals at Roland Garros.
Both players triumphed in epic semi-final battles that went to a deciding set and surpassed two and a half hours of play on Thursday. Fernandez defeated No. 1 seed and three-time Roland Garros singles champion Alfie Hewett 7-5 6-7(1) 6-2, the same man he suffered a chastening 6-1 6-1 defeat to in the final at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia less than three weeks ago.
“Rome was a very important match for me, because Alfie showed me ‘this is where the bar is if you want to beat me,’” the Argentine revealed after the victory. “It showed me I have to play at a high level consistently over time. I took that loss very consciously. Today I knew it was going to be a big battle, so I got ready for it. I always kept my level at that bar today.”
Fernandez is into his first Grand Slam singles final since 2022 Roland Garros, and has the chance to win his first singles title at a major since 2019 Wimbledon. However, he will have to get through defending champion Tokito Oda in the final on Saturday. The Japanese teenager breezed past compatriot Takuya Miki 6-1 6-1 in his semi-final, and has won three of the last four Grand Slams, picking up his first in Paris last year.
“I’ve worked so hard to get to this position again,” Fernandez added on reaching the final. “So I’ve just got to keep my mind on what I’ve been doing so far.”
Meanwhile, Zhu has elevated herself to new heights by reaching the first Grand Slam singles final of her career. She faced world No. 5 Momoko Ohtani in her semi-final, and teetering just two points from defeat at 5-3 30-0 down as the Japanese served for the match, she recovered to win 6-4 3-6 7-6(3).
Moreover, Zhu becomes the first Chinese player to reach a Grand Slam singles final in any wheelchair category.
“It was persistency and tenacity that kept me fighting to finally reach this level,” she said after securing her milestone. “I believe I can achieve anything as long as I persist. In the past I had moments where I questioned if I could achieve a higher level. And now I feel worthy after all my efforts and endeavours. I’m so happy to be a role model for the younger Chinese players, encouraging them to achieve higher.”
Zhu faces world No. 1 and three-time defending Roland Garros champion Diede de Groot next for the title, a woman chasing her 14th consecutive Grand Slam singles crown. Like Oda, the Dutchwoman comfortably overcame her compatriot Aniek van Koot, in her case by a score of 6-1 6-4. Zhu will be the third and final Chinese challenger in Paris for de Groot, who defeated Li Xiaohui and Wang Ziying in the opening two rounds.
But Zhu will not be overawed by the occasion come Saturday, and says she will be happy with the result as long as she brings her best.
“I’ll be focused on performing against myself, instead of focusing too much on winning or losing the final,” she explained. “I care more about improving my own performance and increasing to a higher level. We will see in the final.”
In the quad event, Sam Schroder reached a fourth consecutive Roland Garros singles final by defeating South Africa’s Donald Ramphadi 6-1 6-1, while top seed Niels Vink suffered a 6-2 6-3 defeat at the hands of Israel’s Guy Sasson, the same man who ended his hopes in the semi-finals at the Australian Open earlier this year. Schroder and Sasson will contest a repeat of their championship showdown in Melbourne in the quad singles final on Saturday.
Finally, the inaugural junior wheelchair events at Roland Garros kicked off on Thursday. In the boys’ singles, top seed Maximilian Taucher of Austria defeated Brit Ruben Harris 7-5 6-2, while No. 2 seed Ivar van Rijt from the Netherlands defeated Australia’s Yassin Hill 6-2 6-0 to face Taucher in Friday’s final, with both chasing their first Slam crown.
In the girls’ singles, home favourite and No. 1 seed Ksenia Chasteau defeated Japan’s Yuma Takamuro 6-1 6-3, while American Maylee Phelps upset No. 2 seed Vitoria Miranda 6-2 7-5. Chasteau and Phelps meet in a repeat of their US Open girls’ singles final from last year, where Chasteau triumphed for her first Grand Slam singles title.