Iga Swiatek stayed on course to win her fourth consecutive French Open title after reaching the semi-finals, where she will meet old adversary Aryna Sabalenka.
Swiatek earned her 26th victory in a row at Roland Garros after a 6-1 7-5 triumph against No 13 seed Elina Svitolina of Ukraine.
World No 1 Sabalenka is enjoying her 41st week at the top of the rankings and ousted reigning Olympic champion Qinwen Zheng 7-6 (7-3) 6-3 in their quarter-final.
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Watch highlights of the EPIC Madrid Open final between Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka last year…
Swiatek, who has spent 125 weeks at world No 1, will now face the current world No 1 in the final four on Thursday.
“I should have had better intensity in the beginning of the second set,” Swiatek said in a post-match interview. “When I saw my intensity go low I got it high again. I am happy I did it at the end of the set.
“Against Aryna it is always a challenge. She has a game for every surface. I have to do the work, be brave with my shots and go for it. She is having a great season.”
“I will not lie. It will be a tough match but am happy for the challenge,” she added.
Sabalenka, looking to add a Roland Garros to her two Australian and one US Open crowns, won a hard-fought, near two-hour contest.
Zheng, the eighth seed from China, was the last woman to win a title here having claimed Olympic gold in August.
She went a break up in the first set and gave Sabalenka her biggest test of the tournament so far, but was unable to prevent her from making the last four for the second time in three years.
The 27-year-old said: “That was a true battle. Honestly I have no idea how I was able to break her back and get back in the first set.
“I was just trying to fight and I was just trying to put as many balls as I could back in. I didn’t start well but I’m really glad I found my rhythm and won this match. It was a tough one.”
Zheng had defeated Sabalenka in Rome last month, but that probably did the Belarusian a favour.
“I have to say that in the last tournament I was pretty exhausted,” she added.
“Honestly, I was actually glad that I lost that match because I needed a little break before Roland Garros.
“I was just more fresh today and I was ready to battle, to fight and to leave everything that I have on court to get this win.”
Swiatek, who accepted a one-month doping ban late last year, is looking to become the first woman in the professional era since 1968 to win four consecutive titles in Paris.
She leads the overall head-to-head 8-4 against Sabalenka, and the clay-court head-to-head 5-1.
Sabalenka, though, beat Swiatek 6-3 6-3 in their most recent meeting, on the hard courts of Cincinnati last year.
This will be their first-ever meeting at Roland Garros.
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