French Open semifinals: Halep-Pliskova, Bacsinszky-Ostapenko
A quick look at the French Open:
MEN'S QUARTERFINALS WEDNESDAY
No. 1 Andy Murray beat No. 8 Kei Nishikori 2-6, 6-1, 7-6 (0), 6-1; No. 6 Dominic Thiem beat No. 2 Novak Djokovic 7-6 (5), 6-3, 6-0; No. 3 Stan Wawrinka beat No. 7 Marin Cilic 6-3, 6-3, 6-1; No. 4 Rafael Nadal beat No. 20 Pablo Carreno Busta, 6-2, 2-0, retired (injured abdominal muscle).
WOMEN'S QUARTERFINALS WEDNESDAY
No. 2 Karolina Pliskova beat No. 28 Caroline Garcia 7-6 (3), 6-4; No. 3 Simona Halep beat No. 5 Elina Svitolina 3-6, 7-6 (6), 6-0.
STAT OF THE DAY
22 - Total games dropped by Nadal through five matches, his fewest on the way to any Grand Slam semifinal.
QUOTE OF THE DAY I
''Now I'm just figuring it all out, and obviously there are things to think about and to work on, and we'll see where it takes me.'' - Djokovic, after failing to defend his title at any of the past four Grand Slam tournaments.
QUOTE OF THE DAY II
''I came in playing garbage.'' - Murray, on his form entering the French Open.
LOOKAHEAD TO THURSDAY
The women's semifinals feature four players seeking a first Grand Slam title, and the No. 1 ranking is up for grabs, too. First at Court Philippe Chatrier is No. 30 Timea Bacsinszky of Switzerland against unseeded Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia. They're friends, played doubles together at a tournament last season, and both happen to be celebrating birthdays on Thursday: Ostapenko's 20th, Bacsinszky's 28th. The matchup is a real contrast in styles, pitting Ostapenko's big strokes against Bacsinszky's changing speeds and drop shots. The 47th-ranked Ostapenko had never been past the third round at a major until this week; Bacsinszky lost in the French Open semifinals in 2015. They have never played each other in singles. After that, No. 2 Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic faces No. 3 Simona Halep of Romania. Each has lost one major final: Halep at Roland Garros in 2014, and Pliskova at the U.S. Open last year. Pliskova would replace Angelique Kerber atop the rankings by making it to Saturday's final in Paris. Halep would move to No. 1 by winning the championship. Halep has won four of her previous five matches against Pliskova, all on hard courts.
LOOKAHEAD TO FRIDAY
The men's semifinals will be Murray vs. Wawrinka and Nadal vs. Thiem.
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