Because of how different clay court tennis is stylistically from hard court or grass court, the French Open lends itself to dominance by players that have mastered that surface. On the men's side, we saw Rafael Nadal lord over the clay for nearly two decades,

ROLAND GARROS, PARIS — In arguably the most anticipated women’s tennis match of the decade, Aryna Sabalenka defeated Iga Świątek Thursday to reach her first French Open final.

It’s a reality that will hit Iga Swiatek as brutally as a thumping forehand return from Aryna Sabalenka, who defeated the French Open champion 7-6, 4-6, 6-0 to reach her first Roland Garros final. This is a result that is as emphatic as the final-set scoreline represented: Swiatek’s fortress of Court Philippe-Chatrier was stormed;