Brazil’s Beatriz Haddad Maia was left stunned following her French Open quarter-final victory over seventh seed Ons Jabeur on Wednesday, crediting her patience for landing the biggest win of her career.

The 27-year-old battled from a set down to win a second set tiebreak before running away with the third for a 3-6 7-6(5) 6-1 victory and a first ever spot in the last four where she will face top seed Iga Swiatek.

“I think a tennis match is like a marathon. It’s not a 100 metre race,” the world number 14 said. “I think one of my qualities is that I wait and I’m very patient and I never give up.

“So I wait for the moment because I know that my level is high. So even if I’m not playing well or even if I’m missing a few shots one moment, the tennis will appear, and I’ll have my opportunity to go for it.”

She looked to be on her way out after the first set but refused to be broken in the entire second set to battle back and become the first Brazilian woman since Maria Bueno in 1968 to reach a Slam semi-final.

She is also the first female player from her country to book a last-four spot at Roland Garros in the Open Era.

Iga Swiatek maintained her unbeaten record against Coco Gauff in their French Open rematch to move through to the semi-finals.

The pair had met in the final 12 months ago, with Gauff winning just four games, and the American had not won a set in their six previous clashes.

The statistic remains, although Gauff at least pushed the world No 1 in a 6-4, 6-2 defeat, and will feel she might have done better.

The 19-year-old was unable to take the few chances she had to gain the ascendancy, particularly in the second set, and Swiatek made her pay.

The top seed has lost only 15 games in five matches, and she said: “I haven’t spent much time on court so I’m happy that today was a tighter match.”

Karolina Muchova defeated Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 7-5 6-2 to reach her second grand slam semi-final.

Muchova, 26, suffered an abdominal injury during her run to the semis at the Australian Open that kept her out for seven months and she was ranked outside the top 200 as recently as September.

With her run here, Muchova is set to return to the top 20, and she said: “It’s been an incredible two weeks and I’m just glad I’m still in the competition.”

Aryna Sabalenka came out against Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko after returning to the French Open press room and facing another barrage of off-court questions.

The Australian Open champion refused to speak to the general tennis press after her third and fourth-round matches following tense exchanges with a Ukrainian journalist.

She changed that stance after beating Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina 6-4 6-4 in the quarter-finals amid more boos from the Roland Garros crowd and immediately was pressed further on her political stance.

Sabalenka has previously been pictured with Lukashenko and, asked if she still supported him, the 25-year-old said: “It’s a tough question. I don’t support war, meaning I don’t support Lukashenko right now.”

Aryna Sabalenka advanced to the semi-finals of the French Open after ending Elina Svitolina’s run in Paris. There was controversy at the end as Sabalenka waited at the net, with Svitolina already making her point clear that she was not going to shake the Belarusian’s hand. But during the match, Sabalenka was the clear winner as the Australian Open champion won 6-4 6-4.

Not before 14:00 (all times BST)

Karolina Muchova vs Aryna Sabalenka

Iga Swiatek vs Beatriz Haddad Maia

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Good afternoon and welcome to live coverage of the French Open women’s semi-finals as Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka look to set up a heavyweight clash for the women’s title in Paris.

Swiatek has been in supreme form as the world No 1 looks to defend her French Open crown, with the Pole defeating Coco Gauff in straight sets to advance to the last four on Wednesday. Swiatek has yet to drop a set at this year’s Roland Garros and now faces Brazil’s Beatriz Haddad Maia, who stunned Ons Jabeur to reach her first ever grand slam semi-final.

Sabalenka has been just as dominant, however, as the world No 2 aims to win back-to-back grand slam titles. The Australian Open champion is also yet to drop a set this fortnight after ending Elina Svitolina’s run in the quarter-finals and takes on Karolina Muchova in the first match on Philippe-Chatrier. The Czech player is also enjoying her best ever run at the French Open.