PARIS — Two years ago, Timea Bacsinszky had to tell her boss at the hotel where she worked that she would be taking some time off to play the French Open. On Wednesday she has booked a spot in the semifinals at Roland Garros.
Bacsinszky, the No. 23 seed who had never advanced past the third round of a Grand Slam event, found herself an unlikely favorite in her quarterfinal against 93rd-ranked Alison van Uytvanck of Belgium. But Bacsinszky, a 25-year-old from Switzerland, showed no signs of nerves as she raced to an early lead and held on for a 6-4, 7-5 victory on Court Suzanne Lenglen.