French Open: No comeback this time for
Mladenovic
(CNN)-It seemed like Mother Nature was doing her utmost to help
Kristina Mladenovic at the French Open on Tuesday. But Mladenovic couldn't take
advantage.
Indeed this time there was no comeback for
France's top hope to end a 17-year singles drought at Roland Garros as the 13th
seed was defeated by Timea Bacsinszky -- who virtually quit tennis in 2013 only
to return -- 6-4 6-4 in the quarterfinals.
Bacsinszky's opponent in the last four won't
be former No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki but rather the 2014 Wimbledon junior
champion Jelena Ostapenko.
Even though she is unseeded, the 4-6 6-2 6-2
result could hardly be classified an upset as the 20-year-old Latvian has now
beaten the Dane three times on clay since April, striking a combined 148
winners in the process. She is the first Latvian woman in the Open Era to make
a grand slam semifinal.
On a wet,
windy, unseasonably cold day in Paris, rain forced the first two men's
quarterfinals to be pushed back to Wednesday.
It also
halted proceedings with Bacsinszky leading Mladenovic by a set.
A
three-hour delay ensued, the type that can so often change momentum in matches.
And sure
enough Mladenovic -- who trailed Jennifer Brady 3-0 in the third set in the
first round and a second American, Shelby Rogers, 5-2 in the third set in the
third round -- temporarily lifted her game to lead 3-1 in the second.
But the
30th-seeded Swiss won the next three games to lead by a break, 4-3.
That's
when the heavens opened up again. This time the evening pause was much shorter.
Second
rain delay
Yet given
a second opportunity to turn things around, Mladenovic still was unable to
capitalize.
Bacsinszky
saved a break point in the final game to move into a second semifinal at the
French Open in the last three seasons.
If though
the weather gods tried to assist Mladenovic in one way, in another way they did
not. The court was hardly full of spectators on the damp, nippy day, unlike on
Sunday when the 24-year-old fed off the energy of a packed house and ousted
defending champion Garbine Muguruza.
One
Frenchwoman however does remain in the draw: The player Mladenovic won the
doubles title with last year in Paris, Caroline Garcia. Garcia plays
second-seed Karolina Pliskova in Wednesday's quarterfinals
Photos: The King of Clay over the years
A lot has changed since a 19-year-old Rafael Nadal became only
the second man in history to win Roland Garros at the first attempt. The
bulging biceps, long hair and headband remain, but the Spaniard's sense of
style has certainly changed.
Due to the inclement weather Tuesday, all
four men's quarterfinals are also scheduled for Wednesday. The pick of the
bunch sees defending champion Novak Djokovic meet the second most successful player
on clay this season, Dominic Thiem.
No comments:
Post a Comment