PARIS: Novak Djokovic’s French Open title defence ended with a whimper following the top seed’s withdrawal due to a right knee problem while Jannik Sinner celebrated his imminent takeover as world number one with a crushing win over Grigor Dimitrov on Tuesday.

There was no drama on the women’s side as holder Iga Swiatek continued her quest for a fourth Roland Garros trophy by hitting top gear during a 6-0, 6-2 victory over 2019 runner-up Marketa Vondrousova to also reach the semi-finals.

American third seed Coco Gauff earlier fought back to beat fan-favourite Ons Jabeur 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 and will take on Swiatek in a tantalising rematch of their 2022 final, which the Pole won.

Roland Garros was rocked towards the end of Sinner’s routine win as organisers announced that Djokovic had withdrawn from his 2023 final rematch with seventh seed Casper Ruud in the last-eight on Wednesday.

It meant that Sinner, who ended Djokovic’s quest for an 11th Australian Open title en route to his first Grand Slam trophy in January, will also take his top ranking next Monday and become the first Italian to do so.

Djokovic needed a superhuman effort and five sets to subdue Argentine Francisco Cerundolo on Monday after being dragged the distance for a second straight contest and the Serb aggravated the injury he had been carrying by slipping on court.

The French Open said MRI results revealed that Djokovic, who played on with pain-killers, had suffered a torn medial meniscus that prompted him to take the decision.

It was the latest in a series of unfortunate events for the 37-year-old, who won three out of the four majors last year but has looked off the pace this season, with defeats and an injury threatening his bid for Wimbledon and Paris Olympics glory.

The 37-year-old Djokovic had blamed the “slippery” Roland Garros courts for aggravating the problem during his last-16 win on Monday. “I am really sad to announce that I have to withdraw from Roland Garros,” Djokovic wrote on social media. “My team and I had to make a tough decision after careful consideration and consultation.”

Even as Djokovic arrived at Roland Garros to clean out his locker, Sinner was easing to a 6-2, 6-4, 7-6 (7/3) win over Dimitrov and the 22-year-old said he had achieved a lifelong dream, even if it was not the way he expected to.

“What can I say? First of all it’s every player’s dream to be number one. On the other hand, seeing Novak retiring here is, for everyone, disappointing. I wish him a quick recovery,” Sinner said.

The Australian Open champion could face a potentially tricky test against two-times Grand Slam champion Carlos Alcaraz or Stefanos Tsitsipas

Ruud will receive a walkover and play Alexander Zverev or Alex de Minaur in the semi-finals on Friday.

Earlier in the day, world number one Swiatek improved her career record in Paris to 33-2 and is on course to become the first woman to lift the Coupe Suzanne Lenglen three years in a row since Justine Henin in 2005-07.

After Swiatek’s 40-minute rout of Anastasia Potapova in the last 16, the only consolation for Vondrousova was her snapping the Pole’s incredible run of 20 consecutive games won early in the second set.

“Honestly I think everything worked,” said the 23-year-old Swiatek. “I felt like I was in the zone today.”

Since saving a match point against Naomi Osaka in round two, Swiatek has looked every bit the tournament favourite and goes into her semi-final with Gauff having won 10 of their 11 meetings, all in straight sets.

US Open champion Gauff has come up short against Swiatek in four attempts on clay and was beaten by the top seed on her way to the title in Rome last month.

Gauff, 20, is set for a third straight Grand Slam semi-final, after also making the last four at the Australian Open.

“Everybody knows I want to go all the way,” said Gauff, who must try to end Swiatek’s 19-match French Open winning run. “She’s playing great tennis here, so it’s going to be a challenge, but I’m going to go into the match with a lot of belief that I can. I have nothing to lose. All the pressure is on her.”

Published in Dawn, June 5th, 2024