Jasmine Paolini says she started to "dream step by step" before making it to her maiden grand slam final at Roland Garros.
The Italian saw off Mirra Andreeva in straight sets on Thursday to book a showdown against world number one Iga Swiatek as she aims to win her first major title.
Paolini has already pulled off one major upset at the tournament, knocking out Elena Rybakina in the quarter-finals over three sets in impressive fashion.
No matter what happens in the final, Paolini is already assured of breaking into the top 10 in the WTA rankings on Monday and will be ranked, at minimum, number seven at the end of the tournament.
Asked if this was a moment that she imagined when she was young in training, Paolini admitted that was not the case.
"I was watching grand slam finals. I was watching the other Italians make it in the finals, and also won grand slams, but imagining that can be myself was tough," she said.
"Of course, I wished, but now it's something crazy for me. I'm really happy. Also surprised.
"I never dreamed to be number one, grand slam champion. Never dreamed so big. Never.
"Never maybe dream to be in the top 10, but I was hoping, but not really believing it. I think step by step I started to believe, but to dream for closer things.
"I think it's important to dream, but I started to dream, I think, step by step. Not too far away."
Swiatek is chasing a third consecutive French Open title and is a heavy favourite to win it going into the final.
Paolini was full of praise for the Pole but said she would not be intimidated by her opponent.
"Iga is an unbelievable player. So young, but so many achievements and grand slams. Here she won three times," she added. "She's doing well week by week, and that's not easy. So I have huge respect for her.
"My goal is to step on the court on Saturday and try to enjoy the match and to enjoy that moment and to try to play a good match and to make a good performance on the court."
Retiring Nadal deserves everything in the world for sacrifices, says Lorenzo
Rafael Nadal deserves "everything in this world" in his retirement after the sacrifices he made during his tennis career, says former Moto GP world champion Jorge Lorenzo.
Nadal officially confirmed his departure from the sport earlier this week, with his glittering 23-year spell on the court set to end after November's Davis Cup Finals in Malaga.
The Spaniard has lifted 22 major titles, a total only bettered by Margaret Court, Novak Djokovic (both 24) and Serena Williams (23) in tennis history.
An astonishing 14 of those came at the French Open, which is the most of any player at a single grand slam in history, leading him to be dubbed 'The King of Clay' at Roland-Garros.
Nadal's 112 French Open wins are the most of any man at a single major in the Open Era, while his 14-0 record in Roland-Garros finals is the best recorded by anyone at an event in that span.
Nadal is the latest of the 'Big Four' to announce their departure from the sport after Andy Murray earlier this year, along with Roger Federer in 2022, with Djokovic the only one still playing.
Lorenzo, a five-time world champion who retired from motorsport five years ago, shared his experiences since leaving the track and what the future has in store for Nadal.
"Everyone experiences [retirement] in a different way," Lorenzo told Stats Perform at Festival dello Sport in Trento, Italy.
"It has always been said that many athletes after retirement go into a kind of mini-depression and are a bit sad.
"But in my case, it has been the opposite, I have lived five fantastic years. I have really enjoyed the freedom of being able to choose how and where to use my time.
"And I hope that Rafa is very happy because he deserves everything in this world for what he has sacrificed and for the great example that he has shown as an athlete to the whole society."
Nadal's first grand slam title came at the 2005 edition of Roland-Garros, while the 2022 season saw him triumph in the French capital and at the Australian Open.
He is the only player to win at least one major in 15 different calendar years, and between 2005 and 2014, he never ended a season without a grand slam title.
Nadal finished 13 different years in the top two of the ATP World Rankings, more than any other player throughout the Open Era.
The 38-year-old will bring his storied career to a close on home soil in Malaga, where he will be part of Spain's Davis Cup team which also includes Carlos Alcaraz.
Sabalenka not focused on world rankings after Wuhan success
Aryna Sabalenka is not thinking about claiming the world number one ranking after her Wuhan Open triumph on Sunday.
Sabalenka downed home favourite and reigning Olympic champion Zheng Qinwhen, prevailing 6-3 5-7 6-3 to claim her fifth title on Chinese soil.
The Belarusian became the player with the most main draw wins at the Wuhan Open since the tournament's inception in 2014, with this victory her 17th in as many matches at the competition.
Sabalenka is also only the second player, after Serena Williams at Miami (2013 to 2015) to win a WTA 1000 tournament in three consecutive editions, but faces a stern test in toppling Iga Swiatek at the summit of the WTA rankings ahead of the end of the season.
"Really tight ranking right now," Sabalenka said. "Really nice to see. I always say, of course, it's one of my goals, but I prefer to focus on myself and just keep working hard.
"We'll see after the [WTA Finals] if I was good enough this season to become world number one."
Sabalenka (28) and Swiatek (30) are now the pair with the most WTA 1000 wins combined (58) in a single season, surpassing Williams and Maria Sharapova in 2013 (57).
But Sabalenka did not have it all her own way in Sunday's showdown with Zheng, who fought back in the second set to force a decider.
Sabalenka eventually halted Zheng's hopes of becoming just the second Chinese player to claim a WTA 1000 title after Li Na in 2012, but it was a tough test for the 26-year-old.
"First of all, I would say the conditions are probably a little bit better for her here," Sabalenka said.
"It's much slower and the ball's getting heavier. She has more things to do on the court when it's slower.
"Honestly, I felt like I just lost a little bit of focus and I let her come back in the match. I got a little bit frustrated there.
"It became a three-set match. Balls are getting heavier, in the third set, [it was] a bit emotional."
Sabalenka completes Wuhan Open hat-trick
Aryna Sabalenka overcame home favourite Zheng Qinwen 6-3 5-7 6-3 to claim a third straight crown at the Wuhan Open.
US Open champion Sabalenka has an immaculate record at the WTA 1000 event, where she extended her dominance on Sunday.
The showdown was a rematch of this year's Australian Open final, in which Sabalenka also came out on top.
She is now unbeaten in four matches against Zheng, this year's Olympic champion.
Having required just 38 minutes to take the first set, Sabalenka was pegged back in the second, eventually succumbing after saving four break points.
Yet the Belarusian regained the impetus in the decider, swiftly taking a double-break lead and hardly looking back from there.
Data Debrief: Queen of Wuhan does the three-peat
What a year it has been for Sabalenka, and after previously winning in Wuhan in 2018 and 2019, the world number two completed a hat-trick of trophies in style. She has played 17 times at the tournament and is yet to lose a match.
Sabalenka, who has won four trophies this year, is the second player, after Serena Williams at Miami (2013 to 2015), to win a WTA 1000 event in three consecutive editions of the tournament.
China is something of a home away from home for the 26-year-old, too. She is now the player to have won the most WTA-level titles on Chinese soil in the Open Era (five).
Meanwhile, Sabalenka and world number one Iga Swiatek are the pair with the most combined wins at WTA 1000 events (58) in a single season, surpassing Williams and Maria Sharapova in 2013 (57).
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