PARIS (AP) — The Latest from the French Open (all times local):
___
6:55 p.m.
Karolina Pliskova started badly on Court Philippe Chatrier and has lost the first set in her French Open semifinal against No. 3 Simona Halep.
The second-seeded Czech hit 24 unforced errors as Halep took the opener 6-4.
Pliskova improved as the match progressed and saved two set points in the ninth game to hold her serve. She fended off another set point in the next game but a forehand error handed Halep the set.
___
6 p.m.
At age 20, Jelena Ostapenko is the youngest player to reach the French Open final since 19-year-old Ana Ivanovic 10 years ago.
Ostapenko turned 20 on Thursday and fans on Court Philippe Chatrier sang “Happy Birthday” to her.
“I love to play here, I love you guys, you’re amazing. I’m just happy with the way I celebrated my birthday,” Ostapenko said. “I was always playing aggressive and hitting the ball when I had a chance. It probably helps me to win today.”
The now retired Ivanovic was present at Roland Garros on Thursday and was honored by the French tennis federation in a ceremony after the first semifinal.
___
5:40 p.m.
Unseeded Latvian Jelena Ostapenko defeated Timea Bacsinszky 7-6 (4), 3-6, 6-3 to reach the French Open final.
Ostapenko, who celebrated her 20th birthday on Thursday, is the first unseeded women’s finalist at the French Open since Mima Jausovec lost to seven-time French Open champion Chris Evert in 1983.
Ostapenko converted her second match point with a forehand attack, her 50th winner of the match.
___
4:53 p.m.
Jelena Ostapenko hit a double-fault on set point as Timea Bacsinszky leveled at 1-set apiece in the French Open semifinals.
Bacsinszky won the last four games to wrap up the second set 6-3.
Ostapenko won the first set 7-6 (4).
___
4:15 p.m.
Taking all the risks, Jelena Ostapenko has won the opening set against Timea Bacsinszky in the French Open semifinals.
The unseeded Latvian hit 21 winners and 16 unforced errors as she took the first set 7-6 (4).
Ostapenko unleashed a series of impressive winners in the tiebreaker and took the set with a backhand volley.
___
3:50 p.m.
Timea Bacsinszky has called a trainer on court after apparently hurting a knee while chasing a shot.
Bacsinszky received treatment on her right knee and consulted with the tournament doctor.
She has just dropped her serve and is trailing unseeded Jelena Ostapenko 4-3 in the opening set of the French Open semifinals.
___
3:25 p.m.
The first women’s semifinal match at the French Open is underway.
Timea Bacsinszky of Switzerland is facing unseeded Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia on Court Philippe Chatrier.
Bacsinszky and Ostapenko traded breaks early in the opening set, with Bacsinszky leading 2-1.
___
1:30 p.m.
Seventh-seeded Gabriela Dabrowski and Rohan Bopanna won the mixed doubles title at the French Open.
Dabrowski, who is from Canada, and her Indian partner rallied to beat Anna-Lena Groenefeld of Germany and Robert Farah of Colombia 2-6, 6-2, 12-10.
It’s the first time a Canadian woman wins a Grand Slam title.
“Hopefully you’ve enjoyed that final, there were lots of efforts on both sides,” Dabrowski said in an on-court interview.
Groenefeld was looking for another mixed title at the clay-court major, having already won in 2014 alongside Jean-Julien Rojer. She double-faulted on match point to hand Bopanna and Dabrowski the victory.
___
12:55 p.m.
Among the four men’s semifinalists at the French Open, Gustavo Kuerten picks Rafael Nadal to win a record 10th title in Paris.
A three-time champion at Roland Garros, Kuerten will be honored before Sunday’s final when he will receive his Hall of Fame ring during a ceremony marking 20 years since he won his first title in Paris. The former No. 1 player was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2012.
“Rafa could potentially win up to 15 times,” Kuerten said about Nadal, who has dropped only 22 games in five matches so far. “As you see him again so much as a favorite, you can predict three or four more titles, at least.”
Nadal will play against sixth-seeded Dominic Thiem for a place in final. Thiem defeated defending champion Novak Djokovic in the quarterfinals.
The other semifinal match will pit top-ranked Andy Murray against 2015 champion Stan Wawrinka.
The 31-year-old Nadal, who retired last year before his third-round match with a wrist injury, is the only man with nine trophies from one Grand Slam tournament.
“I don’t think we can ever see another guy like this,” Kuerten said.
___
12:30 p.m.
The first title of this year’s tournament will be awarded Thursday at the French Open when Anna-Lena Groenefeld and Robert Farah take on Gabriela Dabrowski and Rohan Bopanna in the mixed doubles final.
Groenefeld is looking for another mixed title at the clay-court major, having already won in 2014 alongside Jean-Julien Rojer.
The final is the first match scheduled on Court Philippe Chatrier, ahead of the women’s semifinals.
In those later matches, No. 30 Timea Bacsinszky of Switzerland will face unseeded Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia, with both players celebrating birthdays on Thursday: Ostapenko’s 20th, Bacsinszky’s 28th.
Second-seeded Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic will then face No. 3 Simona Halep of Romania.
