DAY 12 - THE BIG T AT RG: DROPSHOT EDITION - Andreeva Advances to 1st RG Final, Chwalinska looking to complete ‘Chwa-nderella’ story + Preview Of Zverev vs. Mensik & Cobolli vs Arnaldi
6/4/202621 min
Brad Gilbert and Andrea Petkovic are perched above Court Philippe-Chatrier for Day 12 of the Roland Garros Drop Shot Edition, and the women's draw has delivered one of the most unlikely finals in recent memory. BG and Petko break down Mirra Andreeva's clinical win over Kostyuk to reach her first Grand Slam final — and what her clay-court dominance this season says about her ceiling. Then we unpack the ‘Chwa-nderella’ story that nobody saw coming: a qualifier ranked 114th in the world, now matching the all-time qualifier semifinal record. They also preview the men's semifinals between heavy-hitters, Zverev vs. Mensik and the crafty Italians, Cobolli vs. Arnaldi. Plus, a programming note — two full episodes this weekend for the finals. 🎾 Andreeva advances to RG Final — the clay queen (20-3 this season) punches her ticket to Saturday's title match 🎾 The Chwa-nderella story — how qualifier Maja Chwalinska (ranked 114th) reached her first Tour SF and matched history 🎾 Shnaider vs. Chwalinska recap — two left-handers, one stunning result 🎾 Men's SF preview — Zverev vs. Mensik and Cobolli vs. Arnaldi 🎾 Weekend finals announcement — two full Big T episodes coming Saturday and Sunday
Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsAndrea Petkovic· Host0:00
[upbeat music] Hello, and welcome to the Big T, the drop shot edition, on day 12 of Roland-Garros. Next to me is still Brad Gilbert, or as they like to call him here, Brad Gilbert. I'm Andrea Petkovic. It's so nice to have you with us. The time at the same time went by in a month, and somehow in a second. How is that possible? Every Grand Slam tournament does this.
Brad Gilbert· Host0:28
You know, what's funny is it seemed a little longer when we had the hot days, and then once you get to about Tuesday, Wednesday of the second week, you can kinda see that finish line, but it's still unpredictable.
Andrea Petkovic· Host0:40
Let's talk about everything that has happened today. We just are 10 minutes after the last women's semifinal ended, and we have an absolute doozer of a final. We have Magda Linette, only the second qualifier ever to make the final of a major tournament, and she is playing Mirra Andreeva. That is a little bit more expected, but how did you watch the women's semifinal?
Brad Gilbert· Host1:03
For Linette, the guile that she plays with, the heart. And you know when she was a junior, everybody, "You're too small." And that's two of the last three years we've had really small ladies get to the final. She used the drop shot, the lefty spin, and it was a lefty-lefty matchup who I thought they played very similar, but I found myself rooting for the Polish player 'cause ... And one play that I love