As Ryo Tabata has worked through the boys’ singles championship at Roland Garros this week, the emerging Japanese talent has looked increasingly comfortable on the surface.

The 17-year-old arrived at Roland Garros still trying to find his feet on clay after first-round exits at J300 in Sante Croce sull’Arno and the J500 in Milan preceding the French event.

But in a week that indicates he is more than capable of excelling on the surface, Tabata has strung together four wins at Roland Garros and on Friday will play for a spot in the final.

Among the impressive features the right-hander, who has a withering forehand and excellent court coverage, has displayed in his progression is his poise under pressure.

This came to the fore when he was challenged deep in the second set by No.11 seed Alexander Vasilev from Bulgaria. Tabata was able to hold his nerve to win 6-3 7-6(5).

It followed a similarly tight round of 16 cash against American Jack Kennedy, with Tabata regrouping after opportunities went begging late in the second set to prevail 6-4 7-6(4).

No Japanese boy has ever claimed singles silverware at Roland Garros, while the only girl to do so was Kazuko Sawamatsu in 1969. The hand of history is therefore firmly on the shoulder of this enterprising teen, who is a member of the ITF-operated Grand Slam Player Development Programme Touring Team. 

Tabata spoke to several Japanese journalists after his quarter-final triumph and, in a chat with the ITF translated by Akatsuki Uchida, he said the early arrival in Europe helped him settle.

“Normally I train in Japan, but I have played two tournaments before Roland Garros and I was able to get in a solid week of practice with overseas players, so I think that helped me get used to things and that is leading to good results," he said.

The predominant surface in Japan is artificial clay and Uchida, a journalist, said players from her nation tend to take a period to adjust to the subtleties required to succeed on clay.

But Tabata trains at the Musashinomura Lawn Tennis Club, which is situated in the Greater Tokyo area and has courts with similar properties to the clay throughout Europe.

The courts are not the same rich red colour - they resemble the green Har-Tru courts found in the United States - but they help players including Tabata learn to slide into shots.

Uchida said that Taro Daniel, who has played singles at Roland Garros eight times, is among the players who have trained at the club during their developmental phase.

Tabata said he likes to watch Anime films and read Manga, which are comics or graphic novels in Japan, to relax away from the tennis court.

But the No. 13 seed’s love of the sport stems from his parents and he said watching Grand Slam tournaments as a child inspired him.

“At first, I started because my parents were playing just for fun, but then my family moved to Saitama, where I got into a good tennis club,” he said.

“Then I began entering tournaments, and as I started winning, I found it really fun. Also watching the Grand Slam tournaments made me want to play on those stages too. That's when I truly got into it."

Similarly to Tabata, Germany's Niels McDonald has also blossomed since arriving at Roland Garros after losing in the first round in the same lead-in events as his semi-final rival on Friday.

He progressed to the last four with a 7-5 6-2 victory over Romanian Yannick Theodor Alexandrescou, who has enjoyed a productive season on clay in 2025.

The other boys’ singles semi-final will feature No.9 seed Ivan Ivanov and another unseeded German Max Schoenhaus, who has a lovely single-handed backhand.

Schoenhaus continued his great week in Paris when posting a thrilling victory over No.6 seed Benjamin Willwerth from the America, with the German successful 6-3 1-6 7-6 (11).

Ivanov, who ousted Jagger Leach in the rounx of 16, reversed a recent loss to No.2 seed Jacopo Vasami in the final of the J500 in Milan with a tough 3-6 6-4 6-2 win over the Italian.