Leylah Fernandez's French Open run came to a halt as the teenager fell short against Martina Trevisan.
Fernandez was the favourite heading into her second grand slam quarter-final, but despite showing strong resolve, last year's US Open runner-up ultimately could not match Trevisan, who prevailed 6-2 6-7 (3-7) 6-3.
Trevisan, who reached the Roland Garros quarters in 2020 and won her first singles title in Rabat prior to the French Open, set the tone by breaking Fernandez in the first game, and the 19-year-old's task was made more difficult when she required medical treatment for a right foot problem.
The first set went Trevisan's way in 35 minutes, but Fernandez rallied with the first break of set two.
Trevisan broke straight back before holding from 0-40 down, and Fernandez's resolve was tested further in the next game, yet a misdirected forehand down the line saw the Canadian hold.
Fernandez sent a forehand wide to hand the world number 59 the chance to serve out the win, but Trevisan could not capitalise at match point as her opponent went from the brink of defeat to levelling the tie.
But if the momentum seemed with Fernandez after the tie-break, then Trevisan firmly regained control by reeling off seven straight points to start the decider.
Fernandez saved the first two break points, yet Trevisan clinched the third, and after an almighty tussle in game four, the Italian claimed a key double break.
Although world number 18 Fernandez claimed one of those back, Trevisan had the bit between her teeth and, for the second time, had the chance to serve out the match.
Again, the opportunity slipped from her grasp, and a swift hold from Fernandez piled the pressure on.
This time, Trevisan held her nerve – a wonderful serve setting up a second match point, which she took with a fantastic cross-court forehand.
Data Slam: Lesser-spotted all left-hander clash as Trevisan joins exclusive club
Tuesday's match was the first French Open women's quarter-final featuring two left-handed players since 1981, when Martina Navratilova went up against Sylvia Hanika.
Trevisan is the eighth Italian female player to reach the semi-finals in a grand slam after Maud Levi, Annalisa Bossi, Silvana Lazzarino, Francesca Schiavone, Sara Errani, Roberta Vinci and Flavia Pennetta.
WINNERS/UNFORCED ERRORS Trevisan – 43/29 Fernandez – 29/44
ACES/DOUBLE FAULTS Trevisan – 1/7 Fernandez – 0/4
BREAK POINTS WON Trevisan – 7/14 Fernandez – 4/10
Romelu Lukaku has always felt he was still an Inter player despite his exit last year to join Chelsea, Gigi Di Biagio believes.
The Belgium international left the Serie A side to return to the Premier League to join Thomas Tuchel's side but has endured difficulties in west London, expressing his frustrations during a mid-season interview.
Lukaku is expected to be on the move once ahead of the 2022-23 season, with Inter pushing to re-sign the striker from Chelsea – with reports indicating discussions regarding a loan deal are underway.
According to Di Biagio, Lukaku never quite left the San Siro spiritually and it was clear he regretted his exit as he remained an Inter player "in his heart".
"It's really quite romantic that we all got the feeling from the first day that Lukaku wanted to return to Inter straight away," the former midfielder told Sky Sport Italia.
"You could tell from the way he spoke, the look on his face, he still felt in his heart that he was still an Inter player. Then there was that interview he gave too."
Lukaku scored 15 goals in 44 appearances for Chelsea in all competitions, half of the tally he netted in the 2020-21 season to help propel Inter to the Serie A title.
During the 29-year-old's previous two-year spell with Inter, no Nerazzurri player scored more goals (64), provided more assists (17) or created as many chances (133) in all competitions.
Di Biagio believes Lukaku can achieve similar success if the striker returns to Inter.
"Lukaku can still make the difference in Serie A, for his motivation, his desire to wear the jersey, he wants to give something more," he added.
"He felt like he was the king at Inter, whereas something at Chelsea just wasn't working."
Inter are expected to significantly rejuvenate their attacking ranks as they seek to knock San Siro rivals Milan off top-spot next season, with Paulo Dybala also reportedly arriving on a free transfer from Juventus.
Ons Jabeur kept Coco Gauff waiting for a top 10 debut as the Tunisian battled past her teenage opponent to reach the Berlin Open final.
Gauff would have secured a career-high ranking on the WTA list if she had won Saturday's semi-final, but top seed Jabeur took it 7-6 (7-4) 6-2 to earn a shot at Belinda Bencic in the title match.
Only world number one Iga Swiatek has won more matches on the WTA Tour than fourth-ranked Jabeur this year, who collected a 29th win as she overcame a 3-1 career head-to-head deficit against Gauff to earn the victory.
Gauff, at 18 years and 98 days, would have become the youngest American to reach a grass-court singles final on tour since Andrea Jaeger was runner-up to Martina Navratilova at Wimbledon in 1983.
It was not to be her day though, Jabeur breaking serve for the fourth time in the match to seal victory, encouraged by a large and vocal Tunisian following.
Reflecting on the match, Jabeur said: "When you play Coco you have to have all the shots. She's a talented player; she's very tough to beat. You can see I've lost already three times against her.
"Sometimes she takes it, sometimes I take it, and it was a great match for both of us."
This is just the second WTA tournament where 27-year-old Jabeur has been a top seed.
"I've tried to act like a number one seed on and off the court, and it's a good pressure," she added. "I'm trying to handle it very well and with the support of our Tunisian people here it's great."
Olympic gold medallist Bencic had earlier claimed an impressive 6-7 (6-8) 6-4 6-4 win over Greek second seed Maria Sakkari in the first semi-final.
Jabeur was bettered by Bencic in a hard-fought Charleston final in April, but is determined to secure a different outcome this time.
"I'm definitely going for the final revenge because we played each other at Charleston, and it was a very, very tough match," Jabeur said. "I hope she's tired from today's match."
Rain meant there was no play at the Birmingham Classic on Saturday, with the semi-finals set back to Sunday.
Beatriz Haddad Maia will face 2019 Wimbledon champion Simona Halep, while Zhang Shuai tackles Sorana Cirstea.
Edouard Mendy was affected by missing out on a Ballon d'Or nomination, although his outstanding trophy haul goes some way to making up for it.
Goalkeeper Mendy helped Senegal to win their first Africa Cup of Nations title in February, having helped Chelsea win the FIFA Club World Cup that same month.
But 2021 represented a stellar year for Mendy as he enjoyed success in his first season in England following a switch from Rennes.
He played a key role as Chelsea clinched their second Champions League title, boasting a higher save percentage (91.18) than any goalkeeper to make more than one appearance in the competition and keeping nine clean sheets in 12 outings.
Despite that, Mendy failed to make a 30-man shortlist for football's biggest individual prize, and lost out on the Yashin Trophy – awarded to the best goalkeeper – to Italy's Euro 2020 hero Gianluigi Donnarumma.
"There have been some incredible moments and there have been some moments that have been more difficult," Mendy told Chelsea's club media.
"After the Ballon d'Or, I think that even if you try to rise above it, unconsciously you are still affected by it. But also it was something new for me.
"You learn from every challenge and I've learned how to deal with it. These are things that I've experienced that have made me a better person, even if at the time it [did] affect me.
"I've also experienced some absolutely joyous moments with AFCON and the Champions League, the [2021 UEFA] Super Cup, winning trophies. When you win them, it becomes an addiction, when you live your life in competition you want to be in the final to win.
"I've been lucky enough to experience that at club level and with my national team who won for the first time in our history. So it's a mix of a lot of emotions but enormously positive ones that bring huge amounts of pride to my family. My reality is what every footballer dreams of."
While the Ballon d'Or has so far evaded Mendy, he hailed the influence Chelsea head coach Thomas Tuchel – and the club's sporting director, former goalkeeper Petr Cech – have had on his time in west London.
"We have a really good relationship with the coach, he's always been clear with me, he's always clear with all the players," he said of Tuchel.
"He's always explaining things, trying to make sure the messages are understood. He's always looking to explain his decisions so there's a lot of transparency in what he does. That's important for the team and of course for myself too.
"We can talk about everything and nothing, but when we're talking about what happens on the pitch it's always a good exchange of ideas."
Cech also made the switch from Rennes to Chelsea, and went on to become the Premier League's all-time leader for clean sheets kept as a goalkeeper (202).
"Of course, he means a lot," Mendy added of Cech. "He was a big factor in the fact I came to Chelsea.
"You have to always make them proud, last year I had the chance to train with Petr and that year [2020-21], he hung his boots! But I had the chance to train with him and see what a great player he was.
"Talent never dies. I was lucky enough to see him evolve and get advice from him every day. What he says is very important to me, especially from a goalkeeper who won a lot at Chelsea and is a legend of goalkeeping."
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