World number one Aryna Sabalenka overcame a second-set fightback by fourth seed Coco Gauff to clinch her third Madrid Open.
World No 1 Aryna Sabalenka, the most powerful player on the tour, will try to establish herself as an all-rounder with her first title in Paris.
Australian Open winner Madison Keys became the latest seed to tumble out of Wimbledon 2025.
The two players merely acknowledged each other with a wave before heading off court.
Poland's Swiatek, who has dropped to fifth in the world rankings, has so far failed to win a title this year despite a few deep runs in tournaments, including the Australian Open semi-finals.
Sabalenka looked bemused when an out call went against her to give Belgian Mertens the first service break and a 4-3 lead in the opening set of their quarter-final, and a check by umpire Miriam Bley confirmed the call.
'Beautiful draw': Retiring Gasquet meets Sinner in French Open swansong
The free-swinging Monfils broke Draper's serve in the fourth set as the clock moved past 11pm local time and saved five break points in an epic seventh game to move 5-2 ahead.
Wimbledon will allow Russian and Belarusian players to compete at the grasscourt Grand Slam as 'neutrals' this year.
Versatility is essential and it has come to the fore for Sabalenka in recent tournaments, where she has used not just her brutal strength to put opponents on the back foot but also applied a touch of finesse to leave them wrong-footed.
Medvedev outlasts Zverev to reach Halle final
Coco Gauff ended local heroine Lois Boisson's dream run at the French Open with a ruthless 6-1, 6-2 victory on Thursday to set up a final clash with top seed Aryna Sabalenka.
Images from Day 1 of the 2025 French Open in Paris on Sunday.
IMAGES from Day 1 of 2025 Wimbledon Championships played at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, London, on Monday.
Ahead of this year's Wimbledon, Russian and Belarusian players signed personal declarations that cleared them to compete in this year's Championship.
The decision to lift the ban was met with protest from Ukraine, whose Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said it was "immoral" and urged Britain to deny Russian and Belarusian players visas.
The loss ends five-time major champion Swiatek's bid to become the first woman to win the tournament in the Southern California desert three times.
Iga Swiatek continued her bid for a fifth French Open title when the Polish fifth seed overcame Romania's Jaqueline Cristian to reach the Roland Garros fourth round.
Coco Gauff dismantled defending champion Iga Swiatek 6-1, 6-1 on Thursday with a ruthless display to storm into her first Madrid Open final, where she will face world number one Aryna Sabalenka for the WTA 1000 title.
IMAGES from the French Open played at Roland Garros, in Paris, France, on Sunday.
Russian-born world number 12 Daria Kasatkina on Friday announced that she will now represent Australia after her application for permanent residency was accepted by the government.
Tennis missed an opportunity to send a strong message to Moscow by failing to impose a blanket ban on players from Russia and its ally Belarus after the invasion of Ukraine, World No 1 Iga Swiatek said.
As many as 500 athletes from the two countries could compete under a neutral flag, but will not be permitted to win medals.
Wimbledon was the only Grand Slam to ban competitors from Russia and Belarus last year.
Russian-born Daria Kasatkina said she was emotional and excited to begin a fresh chapter in her career under the Australian flag at the ongoing Charleston Open after being granted permanent residency last week.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists that the Belarusian President volunteered because he has been acquainted with Prigozhin for about 20 years.
Aryna Sabalenka will battle American 19th seed Madison Keys in the final on Saturday looking to become the first woman since Martina Hingis from 1997-99 to win the Australian Open title three times in a row.
Under the plan, players will have access to grants for fertility treatment and other benefits. It is the first time that maternity benefits are available to self-employed athletes.
The Serbian 24-times Grand Slam champion trailed Korda 5-2 in the second set but broke the American as he served at 5-3 and his precise and powerful serving carried him to the finish.
Aryna Sabalenka will bid for a third Australian Open title in succession as if she was going for her first
Russian teenager Mirra Andreeva overcame world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the Indian Wells final on Sunday, to win a second WTA 1000-level event in a row.
Darya Dolidovich and her family are now in Poland, where she hopes to continue training
Aryna Sabalenka overwhelmed Paula Badosa 6-4, 6-2 with a impressive display of raw power to reach her third successive Australian Open final on Thursday.
Poland, which has long been critical of Lukashenko and harboured many activists from Belarus, has granted her and her husband humanitarian visas.
Former champion Naomi Osaka was sent packing from Indian Wells after losing in straight sets to Colombia's Camila Osorio.
Carlos Alcaraz kept his Indian Wells 'three-peat' campaign on track with a straight sets win against Canadian Denis Shapovalov in the third round.
'I guess it'll force me to read books more, be more of a productive human probably.'
Top seed Sabalenka proved to be at another level, though, racking up 32 winners for the match to leave Badosa chasing shadows under the lights at Rod Laver Arena.
Defending champion Aryna Sabalenka and Madison Keys made rocky starts on Thursday but eventually secured contrasting victories to set up a heavy metal Australian Open final showdown
Russian and Belarusian players will be allowed to compete at the US Open this year but only as neutrals, the United States Tennis Association (USTA) announced on Tuesday.
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