“I came to Roland-Garros, my first goal was to be in the third round” – Haddad Maia on first Slam semi-final

Not many would have picked Beatriz Haddad Maia to reach the semi-finals of Roland-Garros. Not even the Brazilian woman herself.

Haddad Maia had never gone past the second round at any Major before but on Wednesday, she upset seventh seed Ons Jabeur in three sets – a result which left even her surprised.

Believe it, Bia!

History made 😍🇧🇷#RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/8Cbq2aXflO

— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) June 7, 2023

“I came to Roland-Garros, my first goal was to be in the third round. I never won before a second round in a Grand Slam. I know that the goal had to be real. I remember when I won the third round, I said, Okay, now I reach another goal. When we have eight players in the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam, everybody is playing well, so everybody can believe,” the Brazilian said.

“So, when the match was done, I just looked to my team and said, We made it. Like, We did. I was happy, and I’m very excited for what is coming as well (laughing). I was very proud, and I think my face showed that, yeah, I think hard working, it works sometimes (laughing).”

“I think one of my qualities is that I wait and I’m very patient and I never give up” – Haddad Maia

Haddad Maia has won four of her five matches this fortnight in three sets, including saving a match point in her third round win and playing the longest women’s match of the season in the fourth round – something she put down to her never-giving up mentality.

“I think a tennis match is like a marathon. It’s not 100 meters race. I think one of my qualities is that I wait and I’m very patient and I never give up, so I wait for the moment because I know that my level is high. So even if I’m not playing well or even if I’m missing a few shots one moment, the tennis will appear, and I’ll have my opportunity to go for it.”

Haddad Maia will next face world No 1 Iga Swiatek in the semi-finals, whom she beat last year at the Canadian Open in their only career meeting so far.

“Well, we played once, and it was last year in the middle of the year. It was three sets, and I won in the end of the match. So it’s a very tough one. She’s the No. 1, and she’s one of the best players we have from the last year. She’s young. She’s a nice person as well. So, she already won twice here. I’ll try to enjoy. I’ll try to play every single point. I’ll leave everything on the court. Yeah, I have nothing to lose. I will try to go for it, and do my best shots and think about the things that I need to improve as well.”

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