Italy's Trevisan reaches first Grand Slam semifinal at French Open

Martina Trevisan has advanced to her first Grand Slam semifinal at the age of 28 by beating a hobbled Leylah Fernandez 6-2, 6-7 (3), 6-3 at the French Open.

“In the first match point I felt a little bit more nervous,” Trevisan said in her on-court interview on Tuesday.

“I thought too much... that I was one point from the semifinal.” 

The Italian will next face Coco Gauff for a spot in the final at Roland Garros.

Trevisan missed a chance to win in straight sets after the 17th-seeded Canadian saved a match point and evened the second set at 5-5 on Court Philippe Chatrier. 

Trevisan then double-faulted twice in the tiebreaker.

Tenth straight win

The 19-year-old Fernandez was 7-2 in three-set matches this year but Trevisan won the first seven points of the third set and broke twice en route to a 4-0 lead.

Fernandez, who reached the US Open final last September, received treatment on her right foot during the first set when she hit 15 unforced errors. 

She had the foot taped during a medical timeout after the fifth game, trailing 3-2.

It’s the 10th straight win for the 59th-ranked Trevisan, who reached the French Open quarterfinals two years ago as a qualifier. 

She won her first tour title this month in Rabat, Morocco.

Trevisan beat Gauff in the second round at Roland Garros during her quarterfinal run in 2020.

Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal face each other later Tuesday in the 59th career meeting between two players with a combined 41 Grand Slam singles titles.

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