It was a very good day for tricolor tennis. The second round of the Roland-Garros tournament continued on this Ascension Thursday. After Diane Parry, the day before, Léolia Jeanjean, Hugo Gaston and Gilles Simon also won their ticket for the 16are of final. In the night session, Alizé Cornet, 40th player in the world, beat with character the Latvian Jelena Ostapenko (13th), winner of the grand slam in 2017. Caroline Garcia, on the other hand, stops there.
Among the headliners, the Polish Iga Swiatek, world number one, and the Russian Daniil Medvedev, world number two, went without difficulty, while the qualification was a little more complicated for the Spaniard Paula Badosa, number three world.
The best French chance at Roland Garros, Alizé Cornet, offered herself an emotionally charged evening on the Philippe-Chatrier court. Opposed to Jelena Ostapenko, 13th player in the world, the Niçoise fought for 1 hour and 41 minutes of play (6-0, 1-6, 6-3). A disjointed meeting, where the tricolor first unfolded, before suffering, physically. “In the second set, I felt without a solution, but it evened out in the third. I tried to be as stable as possible, in the head too and that, at home, is not won. So I’m very proud.”
She will face China’s Qinwen Zheng (74th) in the next round, who dismissed 2018 winner Simona Halep (19th) 2-6, 6-2, 6-1 on Thursday. At Roland-Garros, where she has reached the round of 16 twice (2015 and 2017) in her 17 previous appearances, Alizé Cornet is playing her 61st consecutive Grand Slam tournament, one record unit in the Open era established by Japanese Ai Sugiyama.
“I wanted to come back so as not to regret anything. I think I made the right choice.”. Frenchwoman Léolia Jeanjean, who only returned to high-level tennis at the end of 2020, playing on the secondary circuit, gave herself the right to continue dreaming.
Beneficiary of an invitation, she had dismissed, on Monday, for her entry into the running in the Parisian competition, the Spaniard Nuria Parrizas-Diaz (45and world). Thursday, she did not leave space for the Czech Karolina Pliskova, ex-world number one, now seeded number 8, beaten in two sets (6-2, 6-2). “I don’t really realize what’s going on. I find it just amazingshe said after her victory. I’m already happy to be here and to be able to play. »
Léolia Jeanjean therefore continues her path in the Parisian competition, the first Grand Slam tournament that she is called upon to play, at 26 years old. A great comeback for the former great hope of French women’s tennis, whose career has gone through a few twists and turns. The one who, as a teenager, had been described as “ Mozart of tennis ” by Tennis Magazinehad been the victim, in 2010, of an injury, which had stopped his trajectory.
Leaving for the United States for her studies, Léolia Jeanjean had however continued to practice tennis there at the university level. Returned to France, she settled in September 2020 in Toulouse where Kevin Blandy, physical trainer at the Toulouse Stadium, tennis section, who also trains Hugo Gaston, took care of her.
- Farewells will wait a little longer
Gilles Simon announced on May 7 that he would end his career at the end of the season, at the age of 38. Thursday afternoon, he showed that he did not intend, until then, to watch the days and weeks go by by tapping vaguely in his racket. Facing the American Steve Johnson, the Niçois recalled why he is one of the most successful tricolors, winner of fourteen tournaments: he won in three sets (7-5, 6-1, 7-6) , pushing back his farewell to Roland-Garros.
- It passed despite a few jolts
The Spanish Paula Badosa, who had swept the French Fiona Ferro in two sets, Tuesday, in the first round, had more difficulties against the Slovak Kaja Juvan. It took three hung sets (7-5, 3-6, 6-2) for the world number three to win her ticket for the third round. “It was a very difficult game. I still need games here to feel a bit better, but I’m really happy with the fight I fought on the court.”explained the 24-year-old Spaniard, winner of Roland-Garros juniors and who went to the quarter-finals last year in the Parisian tournament.
The American Danielle Collins9th player in the world, was beaten by her compatriot the American Shelby Rodgers (50th), 6-4, 6-3, while the Romanian Simona Halep did not manage to take the lead against the Chinese Qinwen Zheng. After having won the first set, the seeded n°19 and former winner of Roland-Garros, in 2018, lost 6-2, 2-6, 1-6.
- The “walks” of the day
The Polish Iga Swiatek, world number one, made short work of the American Alison Riske (6-2,6-2). This is his 30th win in a row.
The American Madison Keys, world number 22, did not give up, or almost, against the Frenchwoman Caroline Garcia (6-4, 7-6).
The day was also uneventful for the Norwegian Casper Ruud, who needed four sets on Tuesday to get rid of the future retiree of the courts Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. The world number eight took place against the Finnish Emil Ruusuvuori (6-3, 6-4, 6-2).
Even lacking in rhythm when arriving at the Paris tournament (he underwent hernia surgery in April), the Russian Daniel Medvedev didn’t drag too much on the court either. The world number two dismissed in three sets (6-3, 6-4, 6-3) the Serbian Laslo Djere.
his compatriot Andrey Rublev defeated Argentinian Federico Delbonis in four sets -6-3, 3-6, 6-2, 6-3).
- And the public prize goes to…
… Hugo Gaston, who feels a bit like home at Roland-Garros. For his fifth participation in the French Open – and even if between each edition he does not necessarily shine on the courts – he has once again demonstrated that he is one of the darlings, if not the darling of the Parisian public.
His game made the spectators of the Suzanne-Lenglen court stand up several times, all won over to his cause. And, after defeating the No. 19 seed, Australian Alex de Minaur, on Tuesday, after a match of four hours and five sets, he dominated in three sets the Argentinian Pedro Cachin, ranked at the 153and rank at ATP (6-4, 6-2, 6-4).
You have to be wary of bad rebounds… Especially when it’s a racket! The Romanian Irina-Camelia Begu had a narrow escape on Thursday during her match against the Russian Ekaterina Alexandrova: she came close to disqualification. At one point, displeased on joining her chair, she threw her racket, which bounced on the ground into the audience. The player went unpunished, only receiving a warning for breaching the code of conduct (and eventually winning 7-6, 6-3, 6-4).
Irina-Camelia Begu just bounced her racket into the crowd, supervisor has been called. https://t.co/EiIBNDAH2I
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With the Czech Karolina Pliskova and the American Danielle Collins, there are seven members of the women’s top 10 who will not see the third round at Porte d’Auteuil. Maria Sakkari, 3and world and semi-finalist in Paris in 2021, Barbora Krejcikova (number 2 and defending champion), Anett Kontaveit (number 5), Ons Jabeur (number 6) and Garbine Muguruza (number 10) had already had to bow out.
- The other main results
Women’s singles:
Veronika Kudermetova (Russia/No. 29) defeats Aleksandra Krunic (Serbia) 6-3, 6-3
Jessica Pegula (USA/No. 11) defeats Anhelina Kalinina (Ukraine) 6-1, 5-7, 6-4
Irina Begu (Romania) defeats Ekaterina Alexandrova (Russia/No. 30) 6-7 (3/7), 6-3, 6-4
Darya Kasatkina (Russia/No. 20) defeats Fernanda Contreras Gomez (Mexico) 6-0, 6-3
Danka Kovinic (Montenegro) defeats Anna Karolína Schmiedlova (Slovakia) 6-3, 7-5
Elena Rybakina (Kazakhstan/No. 16) defeats Katie Volynets (USA) 6-4, 6-0
Camila Giorgi (Italy/No. 28) defeats Yulia Putintseva (Kazakhstan) 6-3, 7-5
Aryna Sabalenka (Belarusian/No. 7) beats Madison Brengle (USA) 6-1, 6-3
Men’s singles:
Holger Rune (Denmark) beats Henri Laaksonen (Switzerland) 6-2, 6-3, 6-3
Miomir Kecmanovic (Serbia/#28) beats Alexander Bublik (Kazakhstan) 4-6, 7-5, 6-2, 6-1
David Goffin (Belgium) beats Frances Tiafoe (USA/#24) 3-6, 7-6, 6-2, 6-4
Lorenzo Sonego (Italy/No. 32) defeats Joao Sousa (Portugal) 7-6 (7/4), 6-3, 6-4
Hubert Hurkacz (Poland/No. 12) defeats Marco Cecchinato (Italy) 6-1, 6-4, 6-2
Mackenzie McDonald (USA) beats Nikoloz Basilashvili (Georgia/#22) 6-3, 6-1, 6-4
Marin Cilic (Croatia/No. 20) defeats Márton Fucsovics (Hungary) 4-6, 6-4, 6-2, 6-3
