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)

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Bob Weir, guitarist, singer and founding member of the Grateful Dead, has died at age 78.

Weir's death was announced Saturday in a statement on his Instagram page.

“It is with profound sadness that we share the passing of Bobby Weir,” the statement said. “He transitioned peacefully, surrounded by loved ones, after courageously beating cancer as only Bobby could. Unfortunately, he succumbed to underlying lung issues.”

Weir joined the Grateful Dead — originally the Warlocks — in 1965 in San Francisco at just 17 years old. He'd spend the next 30 years playing on endless tours with the Grateful Dead alongside fellow singer and guitarist Jerry Garcia, who died in 1995.

Weir wrote or co-wrote and sang lead vocals on Dead classics including “Sugar Magnolia,” “One More Saturday Night” and “Mexicali Blues.”

In the decades since he kept playing with other projects including Dead and Company.

“For over sixty years, Bobby took to the road,” the Instagram statement said. A guitarist, vocalist, storyteller, and founding member of the Grateful Dead. Bobby will forever be a guiding force whose unique artistry reshaped American music.”

Weir’s death leaves drummer Bill Kreutzmann as the only surviving original member. Founding bassist Phil Lesh died in 2024.

Dead and Company played a series of concert’s for the Grateful Dead’s 60th anniversary in July at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco.

Born in San Francisco and raised in nearby Atherton, Weir was the Dead's youngest member and looked like a fresh-faced high-schooler in its early years. He was generally less shaggy than the rest of the band, but had a long beard like Garcia’s in later years.

The band would survive long past the hippie moment of its birth, with its fans known as Deadheads often following them on the road in a virtually non-stop tour.

“Longevity was never a major concern of ours,” Weir said when the Dead got the Grammys' Musicares Person of the Year honor last year. “Spreading joy through the music was all we ever really had in mind and we got plenty of that done.”

FILE - Bob Weir plays guitar with his band The Dead, formerly the Grateful Dead, at the Forum in the Inglewood section of Los Angeles, Calif. on Saturday May 9, 2009. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel,File)

FILE - This undated file photo shows members of the Grateful Dead band, from left to right, Mickey Hart, Phil Lesh, Jerry Garcia, Brent Mydland, Bill Kreutzmann, and Bob Weir. (AP Photo/File)

FILE - Kennedy Center Honors recipients from left; filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola, the legendary American rock band the Grateful Dead band members Mickey Hart, Bill Kreutzmann Bob Weir and blues rock singer-songwriter and guitarist Bonnie Raitt, applaud at at the 2024 Kennedy Center Honors reception in the East Room of the White House, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta,File)

FILE - Bob Weir arrives at Willie Nelson 90, celebrating the singer's 90th birthday on Saturday, April 29, 2023, at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles. (Photo by Allison Dinner/Invision/AP,File)

FILE - Bob Weir of Dead & Company performs at Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival on Sunday, June 12, 2016, in Manchester, Tenn. (Photo by Amy Harris/Invision/AP,File)