Russian teenage sensation Mirra Andreeva wins her first ever Grand Slam semi-final after a three-set thriller against Aryna Sabalenka… as the world number 2 battled illness on court

• The 17-year-old burst onto the scene last year and is enjoying a meteoric rise.
• Sabalenka looked uncomfortable from the start and seemed on the verge of vomiting at times.
• Andreeva to play Jasmine Paolini after Italian beat No.4 Elena Rybakina

Mirra Andreeva will become the youngest woman to appear in a Grand Slam semi-final in 27 years when she faces Jasmine Paolini on Thursday at the age of 17.

The Russian prodigy inflicted a first major defeat of the season on Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka, who was seriously compromised by illness in the 6-7, 6-4, 6-4 defeat.

Andreeva's journey has arrived a little early, but we expect big things from the teenager, who won her first match on the tour at just 15 years old and who will rise to at least 23rd in the world after this quarter-final victory.

It was clear from the start that all was not well with Sabalenka. The 26-year-old held her stomach, grimaced and sometimes looked like she wanted to vomit on the Philippe Chatrier clay court.

Andreeva, meanwhile, felt so tense on match point that she told herself to imagine she was collapsing instead.

The Jedi mental trick worked so well that when Andreeva sent a beautiful lob over a stranded Sabalenka, she reacted with a modest fist pump – before snapping back to reality and throwing her arms up in joy.

Andreeva now faces another Grand Slam semi-finalist for the first time after No. 12 seed Paolini made a dream 24 hours for Italian tennis by upsetting Elena Rybakina 6-2, 4-6, 6 -4.

After Jannik Sinner became Italy's first world number 1 on Tuesday, the country now has a man and a woman in the final four of a Grand Slam for the first time.

The exits of Sabalenka and Rybakina – seeded second and fourth respectively – leave Iga Swiatek as the big favorite to win her third consecutive Roland-Garros.

The Pole faces Coco Gauff today in the other semi-final, having won 10 of his previous 11 meetings.