Van Koot: 'I have the nicest job there is'

Thursday’s win over Japan’s Manami Tanaka in the quarter-finals keeps her dream alive for 2025. She next meets the experienced South African Kgothatso Montjane, but whatever the outcome, Van Koot is very much of the opinion that there are many other blessings to be counted.

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“[I’ve] never won in singles here, so we will see how that goes,” she said. “But just in general, I have the nicest job there is. I am fortunate. I am good at something and I can make it my job, and I get to travel to places around the world. I get to do that with a fantastic coach and a fantastic national team who are really nice people.”

The 34-year-old lefty won her first Grand Slam title at the Australian Open in 2010, and said that she hasn’t always valued what life on the tour brings.  

“It took me a while to realise that, for the 20 years that I've been playing, how nice it actually is. I've come to the age, not that I'm old, but I appreciate it much more. I don't take this for granted.”

While 34 is indeed not old, Van Koot says she is pleased to see a new generation of players coming through and believes that a wider pool of talent will drive everyone to push their limits.

“The level of tennis keeps rising and you need to be better every day,” she said. “You need to put in more work than your colleagues because if you don't put in the same work, you're going to be behind, because everyone's talented and everyone's working hard.”

One such player is France’s Ksenia Chasteau, who lifted the junior girls’ trophy in Paris last year. The 19-year-old was knocked out on Thursday in her quarter-final match against China’s Li Xiaohui but is determined to make her mark in the senior ranks.

“It’s achievable, I know how well most of the Top 10 play, and I’ve always been able to hold my own against them,” she told Roland Garros Magazine. “I hope to use that knowledge to improve my game.”

“I need to up my first serve percentage and improve my returns, as a match can be over in just a few shots,” she added.

Chasteau’s transition to the main draw should be welcome inspiration for the junior wheelchair players who started their campaign on Thursday. Inaugurated last year, the competition comprises a small draw of four boys and four girls.

Defending champion Maximillian Taucher moved safely through to the final and will be joined by the USA’s Charlie Cooper who upset No.2 seed Alexander Lantermann.

It was a similar story on the girls’ side, with No.1 seed Vitoria Miranda through in straight sets, while No.2 seed Luna Gryp was knocked out by the USA’s Sabina Czauz.

The boys' and girls' singles finals are scheduled for Friday from 11:00 on Court 12.  

Elsewhere in the wheelchair competitions, other finals on Friday include the much anticipated men's doubles, when Alfie Hewett and Gordon Reid will be bidding for a sixth consecutive Roland-Garros title together.

In the Quad wheelchair doubles final, No.1 seeds Guy Sasson and Niels Vink take on Ahmet Kaplan and Donald Ramphadi. Yui Kamiji and Montjane will combine in the women's doubles final to challenge No.2 seeds Li and Wang Ziying.