Anna Karolína Schmiedlová Advances to the Roland Garros Round of 16 for the First Time in Her Career

So far, the last Slovak singles eight-finalist at a big four event was Dominika Cibulková at the US Open in 2018.

“It’s my life’s success, I don’t even realize it yet. I’m happy that I succeeded in front of my parents and that I was encouraged by many Slovaks.

I thank the coach Ladislav Simon, who is in Paris with me, he has never experienced such a result with me. He has been supporting me and helping me for a long time, it’s great that we managed to do it. I am also grateful to juniors Niki Daubnerová and Ninka Vargová for coming to cheer me on.” stated Schmiedlová in an interview for the official website of the Slovak Tennis Association.

She was in the third round of a Grand Slam for the fourth time, it was the first time for Day. “I went into the match knowing that I had nothing to lose, the third round was already great. But I didn’t want to be satisfied, I wanted to achieve something more. I knew that my opponent had less experience in big duels.

At the same time, I didn’t want to think too much about what I was playing for, so that I wouldn’t put even more pressure on myself and start messing up. I tried to play my game, go aggressively and not mess up. I’m glad that I didn’t hesitate too much and it worked out,” the holder of three WTA titles evaluated the events on the court.

Anna Karolína Schmiedlová

Source: SITA/AP

Schmiedlová did not hide her emotions after the converted match ball: “I was also looking forward to the outside more than normal. I like Roland Garros very much, the courts here are like my second tennis home. I like the whole area very much, I always like to come back here. I also told myself that if I were to achieve a better result somewhere , so it would be great if it came here.

I was preparing for the match with Day, her ‘left-handed’ style was not a big problem for me. I was rather surprised by how she fought, returned a lot of balls and was persistent. There was a little bit of stress at the end, but I think it’s completely normal at this level.”

she thought she was going to Swiateková

In the battle for advancement to the quarterfinals, the Slovak will compete against the sixth-seeded last year’s Paris finalist Cori Gauffová. The American clearly defeated Schmiedlová last year on clay in Madrid.

“In the next match, I don’t have to lose at all. In the second week, she is no longer an easy opponent. I thought I was going against Iga Swiateková, so it surprised me that I am playing with Gauff. However, she is not an easier opponent, it is A top 10 player that I have respect for. I lost to her, she plays an aggressive style of game, goes to the net a lot, serves well. She is confident on the court, it will definitely be a tough match mentally.

I’ll give it my all. I try not to admit to myself who I’m going to play against. I will try to be brave and enjoy the match to the maximum. If I managed to win, it would be amazing, but already participating in the eight finals at a Grand Slam is great, because I’ve never managed to do it before.” concluded Schmiedlová.

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