Tennis player Karolína Muchová eliminated the fourth seed Maria Sakkari from Greece on the clay Roland Garros.
Today, the Czech player defeated last year’s semifinalist of the second grand slam of the season twice 7: 6 in the second round in two and a half hours of play. By advancing to the third round, Muchová equaled her maximum in Paris.
Roland Garros is the fourth tournament of the season for Mucha after returning after an injury and once again shows that when she is healthy, she belongs to the world’s top. Against the current top three, the WTA Sakkari showed a great game and most of the match was better than the Greek opponent.
Muchová could have won the first set faster, but at 5: 2 she did not use three sets in the opponent’s service. She did not succeed until the eighth after the winning backhand in the tie-break, which she won 7: 5.
In the second set, she went to the break twice, but always lost the advantage. In the second tie-break, she led 3: 0, raised to 4: 2 with an ace from the second service and ended the match with a forehand shot.
“It’s a wonderful feeling that I can play like this again. It’s very important to me. It was a big test for me, a challenge and I’m glad I did,” said 25-year-old Muchová in an interview on the court. By winning, she improved her balance in the fights with the players of the world five to 4: 2.
Last year’s Australian Open semifinalist and two-time Wimbledon quarterfinalist will face American Amanda Anisimova, who defeated former world number one Naomi Osaka of Japan in the first round. The Olomouc native has not yet encountered the current 28th player in the world.
Kateřina Siniaková did not follow Muchová’s success. She lost 3: 6, 2: 6 to last year’s US Open finalist and 17th Leylah Fernandez from Canada.
Petra Kvitová, who will face the wild card holder Australian Daria Savilleová, who previously started under the name Gavrilovová, will also fight for promotion today.
Raducanu ends Djokovic did not hesitate
US Open champion Emma Raducanu was eliminated on Roland Garros during her debut on Paris clay in the second round. The British winner Linda Nosková lost to the Belarusian tennis player Aliaksandra Sasnovičová 6: 3, 1: 6, 1: 6 from the opening duel. The ball from the loss was the third seeded German Alexander Zverev, but in a duel with Sebastián Báez he turned away the swordfish in the fifth set and defeated the Argentines 2: 6, 4: 6, 6: 1, 6: 2 and 7: 5. The defender of the title, Novak Djokovic, certainly passed. He defeated the Slovak Alex Molčan, led by the Serb’s former coach Marián Vajda, 6: 2, 6: 3 and 7: 6.
The twelfth-seeded Raducanu had to fight for promotion in three sets against a 17-year-old Czech qualifier, but she did not manage another long duel. In the opening set, she pushed Sasnovich’s offensive game, but then Belarus began to dominate the court and in the seventh start on Roland Garros, she crossed the second round for the first time in her career.
The Olympic winner from Tokyo Zverev struggled with two sets and Báez, on the other hand, played excellent clay tennis. “After the second set, I planned a holiday in Monaco, with whom I would go and what it would be like on the beach,” Zverev joked in an interview after the match. “Seriously, I was trying to find a way and fight,” he added.
He found a rhythm from the third set and started playing the 36th player in the world, Báeze. In the fifth set, the game was evenly balanced and at 4: 5, Zverev faced the match ball during his service. He sent the submission to the opponent’s forehand and the Argentinian returned to the car. “I’m glad I’m still in the tournament,” the German breathed.
He maintained the serve, won the break at 6: 5 and then served the match after three hours and 36 minutes. He shouted aloud after the match, and soothed the smaller Báez’s head in the net. “Leading two zero and losing is the worst feeling,” he recalled his losing US Open final in 2020 with Dominic Thiem, over whom he led 2-0 in sets at the time.
Djokovic and Vajda broke up in March, and now his new charge stood against him. “Molčan is an opponent for me like everyone else, but I have never played a match where Marián is sitting in the opponent’s box. I’m not looking forward to it at all,” admitted the first player in the world before the match.
However, Djokovic managed the match without any problems and he certainly won the opening two sets. He lost only one service in the match and decided the result of the third set in a tie-break, which he won with a ratio of 7: 4.
French Open tennis tournament in Paris (clay, subsidy 43.6 million euros):
Singles – Round 2: Muchová (Czech Republic) – Sakkari (4-Řec.) 7: 6 (7: 5), 7: 6 (7: 4), Fernandezová (17-Kan.) – Siniaková (CZ) 6: 3, 6: 2, Mertensová (31-Belg.) – Bouzková (Czech Republic) without a fight, Sasnovičová (Běl.) – Raducanuová (12-Brit.) 3: 6, 6: 1, 6: 1, Kanepiová (Est.) – Haddadová (Braz.) 6: 4, 6: 4, Azarenkova (15-Bel.) – Petkovicova (Germany) 6: 1, 7: 6 (7: 3), Teichmannova (23-Swiss) – Danilovicova (Srb.) 6: 4, 6: 1, Gauffova (18) -USA) – Van Uytvanck (Belgium) 6: 1, 7: 6 (7: 4), Kerber (21-Germany) – Jacquemot (Fr.) 6: 1, 7: 6 (7: 2), Anisimova (27-USA) – Vekicova (Croatia) 6: 4, 6: 1, Stephens (USA) – Cirstea (26-ROU) 3: 6, 6: 2, 6: 0.
Men:
Singles – Round 2: Norrie (10-Brit.) – Kubler (Austr.) 6: 3, 6: 4, 6: 3, Zapata (Sp.) – Fritz (13-USA) 3: 6, 6: 2, 6: 2, 6 : 3, Khachanov (21-RUS) – Dellien (BOL) 4: 6, 6: 4, 7: 6 (7: 1), 6: 3, Bedene (Slovenia) – Cuevas (Uruguay) 4: 6, 6: 4, 7: 6 (7: 5), 6: 4, Auger-Aliassime (9-CAN) – Ugo Carabelli (ARG) 6: 0, 6: 3, 6: 4, Isner (23 -USA) – Barrere (Fr.) 6: 4, 6: 4, 3: 6, 7: 6 (7: 5), Krajinovič (SRB) – Gojo (HRV) 7: 6 (7: 5), 6: 2, 5: 7, 6: 1, Djokovic (1-Srb.) – Molcan (SR) 6: 2, 6: 3, 7: 6 (7: 4), Zverev (3-Germany) – Baez (Arg.) 2: 6, 4: 6, 6: 1, 6: 2, 7: 5, Nakashima (USA) – Griekspoor (Niz.) 7: 6 (8: 6), 6: 4, 6: 2 .
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