Aryna Sabalenka says how she feels about the empty seats in her French Open semi-final match with Iga Swiatek

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Aryna Sabalenka has reached her first Grand Slam final away from hard courts after knocking Iga Swiatek out of the French Open.

World number one Sabalenka is a three-time Grand Slam champion and six-time Grand Slam finalist, but is now into her first French Open final.

After beating Swiatek 7-6(7-1), 4-6, 6-0, she has set up a final meeting with world number two Coco Gauff, who she lost the US Open final to in 2023.

Tim Henman has given Gauff a chance against Sabalenka, with the pair now set for their 11th meeting on the WTA Tour.

They have five wins each and are tied at 1-1 in Grand Slam tournaments, with the Belarusian having beaten the American in their 2024 Australian Open semi-final.

Aryna Sabalenka comments on French Open semi-final empty seats

Gauff has been told to improve her first serve percentage figures for the final, which takes place on Court Philippe-Chatrier.

That was also the venue for both women’s semi-finals, with Sabalenka having been tasked with discussing empty seats against Swiatek in her winning press conference.

READ MORE: What Aryna Sabalenka is really like behind the scenes on the WTA Tour, ‘you see that when you are around the players’

“There were empty seats?” she questioned. “I wasn’t really focusing on that. For me the atmosphere felt incredible.

“It was super loud, people were cheering both of us. I don’t know, I didn’t really see empty seats. I think maybe after the second set some people left and I can totally understand it. I don’t know how they are able to sit for so long. But I hope that for the finals it is going to be full, full!”

Aryna Sabalenka ends stunning Iga Swiatek run at the French Open

Men’s matches dominating the night sessions at this year’s French Open have caused plenty of controversy, with women’s matches instead limited to day sessions.

And that certainly didn’t help attendance figures early on in the tournament, although it will be a frustration for all involved that a semi-final did not fill Philippe-Chatrier.

READ MORE: Rennae Stubbs left stunned by French Open tournament director’s comments, ‘it is shocking to me’

Moreover, it was a semi-final involving the world number one player and a four-time champion at the French Open.

They also gave fans plenty to cheer about throughout two hours and 19 minutes of action, which cannot be said for many men’s matches.

Sabalenka versus Gauff should, however, be a different story, not least because it is scheduled for Saturday.

And again, their abilities and current status should draw in huge numbers, with the top two players in the world going head-to-head.

Swiatek meanwhile can hold her head extremely high despite the defeat, having just witnessed a 26-match winning streak at Roland Garros come to an end.

She has won the last three finals in Paris and four of the last five, with her win-loss record at the tournament now remarkably sitting at 40-3.

Moreover, there is no shame in losing to Sabalenka, who is shining on clay and has now won her last five Grand Slam semi-finals.