Former champion Ana Ivanovic was at her brilliant, aggressive best as the seventh seed swept aside Ukraine's Elina Svitolina 6-3 6-2 to storm into the French Open semi-finals.
The Serb, who lifted the Suzanne Lenglen Cup in 2008, shrugged off the windy conditions to set up a meeting with the Czech Republic’s Lucie Safarova.
Ivanovic took control early on and never allowed the 19th seed into the contest on Court Philippe Chatrier.
She put an end to a one-sided encounter on her third match point with a forehand passing shot to reach the last four of a grand slam for the first time since 2008.
Safarova’s firecracker forehand proved a potent weapon as the 13th seed bulldozed her way into the semi-finals with a 7-6 (7/3) 6-3 win over Spain's Garbine Muguruza.
A day after knocking out 2014 champion Maria Sharapova, Safarova weathered the gusting winds swirling through Court Suzanne Lenglen and the powerful groundstrokes of her opponent to reach the last four in Paris for the first time.
A blazing backhand crosscourt winner from Safarova ended a high-quality first set and she wrapped up victory with a breathtaking backhand winner down the line.
