Beatriz Haddad Maia Makes History: First Brazilian Woman to Reach Quarterfinals at Roland Garros

It was a test of resilience. In almost four hours, Beatriz Haddad Maia had to deal with a series of ups and downs to make history. The mistakes were many – and, for a moment, they seemed decisive. The number 14 in the world, however, knew how to have the strength to react against the Spanish Sara Sorribes Tormo, 132nd in the ranking. In 2 sets to 1, 6/7(3), 6/3 and 7/5, Bia needed four match points to end a long battle and guarantee a historic classification for the quarterfinals of Roland Garros.

Bia’s feat is gigantic. In the Open Era, she is the first Brazilian to reach the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam. In all of history, she is equal to Maria Esther Bueno, the only one in the country to date to reach the quarterfinals at Roland Garros – she was a finalist in 1960. She is also the Brazilian to go further in a Grand Slam since 1968, when Maria Esther made it to the stage at Roland Garros, Wimbledon and the US Open.

In addition, between men and women, since 2001 a Brazilian tennis player has not made it this far in a singles dispute at a Grand Slam – Gustavo Kuerten, Guga, reached the quarterfinals at the US Open and at Roland Garros that year.

The duel ended with 3h51 duration. It’s the longest women’s game of the season so far. Bia was moved to tears at the end. It is also the third longest in the history of Roland Garros – the first, between Noémie Buisson and Van Lottum, in 1995, lasted 4h07. After a long battle, she felt the relief and happiness of winning at Roland Garros. The Brazilian celebrated the feat.

– I tried to think in a positive way in the most difficult moments. I thought that if I was feeling the jitters, so was my opponent. My coach sent me an interview with Djokovic, talking about nervousness. So if Djokovic gets nervous, who am I not to? We need to accept, stand firm to withstand the pressure.

The rival is already known. In the quarterfinals, Bia will face Ons Jabeur, from Tunisia, number 7 in the world. She beat the American Bernarda Pera in 2 sets to 0, partial 6/3 and 6/1, and also advanced.

In the doubles tournament, Luisa Stefani and Canadian Gabriela Dabrowski were eliminated. The two lost to Canadian Leylah Fernandez and to American Taylor Townsend by 2 sets to 1, partial 6/4, 4/6 and 6/2.

The two tennis players confirmed their first services in the game. Bia broke in the third game. Without ceding points to the rival, she won and scored 2/1. The Brazilian played an aggressive game, causing problems for the Spaniard with each return. The second break came in the seventh game, with a deep parallel from Bia to perfection.

The Spaniard, however, tried to return to the match. He reached the first break soon after, without conceding points to Bia. The timing of the game has changed. Precise in her strikes, Sara Sorribes got the second break shortly after to level the scores at 5/5. But the Brazilian recovered on the court and returned to the front in a new break soon after.

It was a shaky game on both sides. Bia, who served again to close the set, was broken for the third time. And it opened space for the Spaniard to raise the level towards the tie-break. Sara Sorribes knew how to take advantage of the Brazilian’s mistakes and didn’t seem to wear out with the long ball exchanges. In the end, she won: 7/6 (3).

Bia continued with service problems on the way back to the court, giving the Spaniard three chances to break. In a game of almost ten minutes, Sara Sorribes took advantage of the last opportunity and started in front in the partial. The Brazilian had the chance to return the break and leave everything the same, but she wasted it.

It was not a good time for Bia. As much as she tried to vary it, the serve didn’t seem to fit. Sara Sorribes, then, reached a new break and opened 3/0 in the second set. But there was still room for a reaction. Gradually, Bia managed to press more in the attack and got her first break in the partial. By confirming his serve in the sequence, he reduced the difference: 3/2.

A new break confirmed Bia’s reaction in the game. Much looser, the Brazilian made Sara Sorribes feel the pressure. She even struggled to confirm her service in the sequence, but turned the score in the set to 4/3. That’s when Bia accelerated. Accurate, she reached a new break and scored 5/3. Soon after, she won her sixth straight game to close out the second set: 6/3.

The script, in fact, had changed. Bia remained firm and started the 3rd set with a break without conceding points to her rival. But the Spaniard returned the break in the second game. The game is unstable again. The Brazilian even had a chance to break, but did not take advantage. No problem. She broke Sara Sorribes’s serve again in the fifth game and scored 3/2.

By confirming his service in the sixth game, he extended the advantage and saw him open the way to the quarterfinals. Further ahead, Bia had her first three chances to close the game against the Spaniard, who resisted as best she could to confirm her service and reduce the difference: 5/4.

Sara Sorribes, then, grew up in the game. And she saw Bia lessen the intensity. With new mistakes by the Brazilian, the Spaniard broke the serve after a double fault by the rival and tied the game at 5/5. Bia, however, managed to recover and got a new break in the sequence. In the end, she had to turn the tables to secure a historic quarter-final finish at Roland Garros: 7/5.