Beatriz Haddad Maia makes history as first Brazilian woman to reach French Open semi-finals
- Planet Sport writer
- 7 June 2023
Brazilian Beatriz Haddad Maia bounced back to claim an historic place in the French Open semi-finals.
Beatriz Haddad Maia came from a set down to defeat Ons Jabeur and become the first Brazilian woman to reach the French Open semi-finals in the Open era.
After battling for nearly four hours to beat in the fourth round, the 14th seed again found herself with work to do after losing the opening set to seventh seed Jabeur.
A very tight second went to a tie-break, which Haddad Maia took, and the Brazilian ran away with the decider to win 3-6 7-6 (5) 6-1.
Haddad Maia, 27, looked utterly stunned at the moment of victory, having never previously gone beyond the fourth round at a slam.
Her results away from the majors have been very impressive, though, and she will hope to follow in the footsteps of Brazilian grand slam champions Gustavo Kuerten and Maria Bueno.
