French Open: Elina Svitolina beats 2024 runner-up Jasmine Paolini and will face Iga Swiatek next

PARIS (AP) — Elina Svitolina saved three match points and came back to eliminate 2024 runner-up Jasmine Paolini 4-6, 7-6 (6), 6-1 on Sunday, earning her fifth French Open quarterfinal appearance.

The 13th-seeded Svitolina, who is from Ukraine, is a three-time Grand Slam semifinalist — getting that far twice at Wimbledon and once at the U.S. Open — but is 0-4 so far in the quarterfinals at Roland-Garros.

“Last few months have been really, really tough for the Ukrainian people, and last few weeks have been awful, as well,” Svitolina said. “It’s something that all Ukrainians live on a daily basis with — with the bad news. So when I’m on the court, I’m fully focused on my job, on my tennis, and try to get these wins, try to keep Ukrainian flag flying for my country.

"That’s what motivates me to keep pushing, to keep winning, to keep playing tennis, in general.”

She'll try to go a step further Tuesday, when she will face three-time defending champion Iga Swiatek, who trailed by a set and a break before defeating 2022 Wimbledon champion Elina Rybakina 1-6, 6-3, 7-5 at Court Philippe-Chatrier.

The other quarterfinal on the top half of the women's bracket will be No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka against No. 8 Zheng Qinwen. Sabalenka, a three-time major champ, used a five-game run to take control from 5-all in the first set and beat No. 16 Amanda Anisimova of the U.S. 7-5, 6-3, while 2024 Olympic gold medalist Zheng was a 7-6 (5), 1-6, 6-3 winner over No. 19 Liudmila Samsonova.

The No. 4-seeded Paolini entered Sunday on a career-best nine-match winning streak, including a run to the title on red clay at the Italian Open.

A year ago, she reached her first major final at the French Open, losing to Swiatek, then also made it to the championship match at Wimbledon, where she lost to Barbora Krejcikova.

Against Svitolina, Paolini served for the victory while leading by a set and a break at 5-3 in the second. But the Italian got broken at 15 there. She then held her first two match points while ahead 5-4, 15-40 as Svitolina served.

Paolini missed a forehand on the initial chance to end things and a backhand on the next.

In the ensuing tiebreaker, Paolini again was a single point from winning — and again failed to come through, this time when Svitolina ended a 14-stroke exchange with a volley winner.

From there, Svitolina was in control, racing to a 4-0 lead in the third set. She is quite comfortable on clay, where she has earned a tour-leading 16 of her 27 wins this season.

Svitolina also defeated Paolini at the Australian Open in January.

Tommy Paul and Frances Tiafoe reached their first French Open quarterfinals and gave the United States two men in that round in Paris for the first time since 1996. Not even one man from the country had reached the final eight since Andre Agassi in 2003. No. 12 seed Paul beat No. 25 Alexei Popyrin of Australia 6-3, 6-3, 6-3, and No. 15 Tiafoe defeated Daniel Altmaier of Germany 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (4). Paul now meets No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz, the defending champion. Alcaraz defeated No. 13 Ben Shelton of the U.S. 7-6 (8), 6-3, 4-6, 6-4. Tiafoe's next opponent will be No. 8 Lorenzo Musetti, who won 7-5, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 against No. 10 Holger Rune in a match that ended after midnight.

The fourth round is scheduled to conclude on Day 9, with No. 1 Jannik Sinner against No. No. 17 Andrey Rublev, 24-time major champion Novak Djokovic against Cam Norrie among the men's matches, and four U.S. women in action: No. 2 Coco Gauff vs. No. 20 Ekaterina Alexandrova of Russia, No. 3 Jessica Pegula vs. Lois Boisson of France, and No. 7 Madison Keys vs. Hailey Baptiste in an all-American matchup.

Frances Tiafoe of the U.S. celebrates beating Germany's Daniel Altmaier during their fourth round match of the French Tennis Open, at the Roland-Garros stadium, in Paris, Sunday, June 1 2025. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Tommy Paul of the U.S. reacts after beating Australia's Alexei Popyrin during their fourth round match of the French Tennis Open, at the Roland-Garros stadium, in Paris, Sunday, June 1 2025. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Ukraine's Elina Svitolina celebrates beating Italy's Jasmine Paolini during their fourth round match of the French Tennis Open, at the Roland-Garros stadium, in Paris, Sunday, June 1 2025. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus celebrates beating Amanda Anisimova of the U.S. during their fourth round match of the French Tennis Open, at the Roland-Garros stadium, in Paris, Sunday, June 1 2025. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

China's Zheng Qinwen celebrates beating Russia's Liudmila Samsonova during their fourth round match of the French Tennis Open, at the Roland-Garros stadium, in Paris, Sunday, June 1 2025. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Poland's Iga Swiatek celebrates after beating Kazakhstan's Elena Rybakina during their fourth round match of the French Tennis Open, at the Roland-Garros stadium, in Paris, Sunday, June 1 2025. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

Tommy Paul of the U.S. reacts after beating Australia's Alexei Popyrin during their fourth round match of the French Tennis Open, at the Roland-Garros stadium, in Paris, Sunday, June 1 2025. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Italy's Jasmine Paolini hits a forehand against Ukraine's Elina Svitolina during their fourth round match of the French Tennis Open, at the Roland-Garros stadium, in Paris, Sunday, June 1 2025. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

Ukraine's Elina Svitolina celebrates beating Italy's Jasmine Paolini during their fourth round match of the French Tennis Open, at the Roland-Garros stadium, in Paris, Sunday, June 1 2025. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

Ukraine's Elina Svitolina reacts winning a point to Italy's Jasmine Paolini during their fourth round match of the French Tennis Open, at the Roland-Garros stadium, in Paris, Sunday, June 1 2025. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

CINCINNATI (AP) — Chicago Cubs third baseman Alex Bregman was taken to the hospital for tests after being struck in the face by a foul ball while standing in the grass several feet in front of the on-deck circle during Sunday’s game against the Cincinnati Reds.

There was no decision yet on whether Bregman, who was going for X-rays and CT scans, would travel with the team back to Chicago following its 9-1 win.

“He got hit in the left cheekbone essentially, under the eye,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. “I don’t know anything more than that right now. He was bleeding from his nose a little. There’s some swelling. It’s a terrible, terrible accident. We hope he’s OK.”

In the fourth inning, left-handed batting Michael Busch checked his swing and fouled off a pitch from Reds right-hander Luis Mey that struck Bregman, who immediately jogged toward the Cubs' dugout with his hand covering the left side of his face.

Bregman was escorted by a trainer down the dugout steps and into the clubhouse, with blood visible on his face. Matt Shaw replaced Bregman and drew a walk. He remained in the game to play second base, with Pedro Ramirez shifting to third.

“It just happens so fast,” Busch said. “(Mey)'s throwing the ball hard and it comes off hard. Any time it enters the head area, it's always a scary thing. We try to focus on the game, but it's tough. Hopefully he's OK, first and foremost.”

Bregman went 1 for 1 with a walk, an RBI and a run scored before leaving the game. He is batting .262 with 26 home runs and 89 RBIs after signing a $175 million, five-year free agent deal in January.

“I mean, at the end of the day, you just hope your friend is OK,” Pete Crow-Armstrong said. “That's the news that I'm hoping for. But scary stuff. Such a rarity.”

The Cubs could clinch a postseason berth with a Diamondbacks loss to the Yankees later Sunday.

Counsell said he hasn't thought about how a potential long-term absence for Bregman might impact his postseason roster plans.

“You know, we've got to get good results from the hospital,” Counsell said. “He got hit in the face (so) you're worried just about his general well-being first. I want to get a good report first.”

See AP’s full MLB coverage here

Chicago Cubs' Alex Bregman advances to third base on a double by Ian Happ during the first inning of a baseball game against the Cincinnati Reds, Sunday, Sept. 20, 2026, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Kareem Elgazzar)

Chicago Cubs' Alex Bregman celebrates after a one-run single during the first inning of a baseball game against the Cincinnati Reds, Sunday, Sept. 20, 2026, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Kareem Elgazzar)