At 19, Clara Burel had already marked in her own way the history of this 2020 edition. On the night of Monday to Tuesday, the French won her first round against the Dutch Arantxa Rus past midnight (00:10 to be precise) at the spotlight after a fight of nearly three hours.
This Thursday, the 357e world shone in broad daylight on court number 14 and under the attentive and benevolent gaze of a certain Amélie Mauresmo. The Bretonne dominated an “old” acquaintance of the junior circuit, the Slovenian Kaja Juvan (7-6, 6-2) yet much better ranked than she (103rd).
In the wind, in the rain finally under an almost spring sun at the end, Burel had to save two set points in the first round after having led 4-1. The turning point of the match. This first set in his pocket, Burel let his tennis express itself more in inspiration than in power. If these shoulders betray a still very recent practice of bodybuilding, his ball springs quickly from the racket and with variation.
Superb victory for Clara Burel! 🔥🇫🇷 After a convincing performance and despite a palpable tension at the end of my… https://t.co/MGwo7PfC5E
“In current women’s tennis, it’s very important to know how to offer different things to your opponent”, confirms her trainer Alexia Dechaume convinced of the potential of her protege. Presented since her adolescence as the next generation of French women’s tennis and brooded by her federation, Burel lost time on the way after a year 2019 rotten by an injury and a wrist operation.
“ After such a period of inactivity, doubt inevitably enters the head, continues Dechaume. She had recovered well before confinement came to break this momentum. But Clara works well and is rewarded. Seeing Hugo Gaston, whom she knows well, to qualify for the third round, inevitably that pulls her upwards. “
Gaston and Burel participated together in the Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires in 2018. The Toulousain had brought back the gold medal while the Rennaise was satisfied with the silver, beaten in the final by… Juvan. Two years later, she takes her revenge among the “big girls”.
In the third round, she will face the Chinese Zhang Shuai, scorer of Alizé Cornet at the same time in two sets: 6-4, 7-6. Between Gaston and Burel, the “millennials” give a little smile to a French tennis in very small form.
The suspense, the emotions and the twists and turns, Novak Djokovic leaves that to others (like Alexander Zverev, specialist in forceps victories). The Serbian is cold and clinical when it comes to dispatching the adversaries put in his way at the start of the fortnight. After leaving five games to the Swede Mikael Ymner, the world number one royally granted as many to the Lithuanian Ricardas Berankis (6-1, 6-2, 6-2).
In his defense, the brave Berankis suffered from low back pain and had to be manipulated at the start of the third set, the opportunity for Djokovic to perform some movements of stretching. “ It was not easy for Ricardas with his injury, he could not fully defend his chances ”, regretted his executioner, always very diplomatic in the victory.
When he avoids hitting a linesman with a stray ball, Djokovic is unbeatable this season and has a record of 32 wins for a loss (that famous disqualification against Pablo Carreno-Busta at the US Open). Next named victim: Daniel Elahi Galan. Beaten in the third round of qualifying then drafted, the Colombian “lucky loser” tackles the current Everest of tennis. And without oxygen. Good luck to him.
Hello there is Ostapenko again
Between Jelena Ostapenko and Roland-Garros, it’s all white or all black. Never gray. In four appearances, the Latvian bit the dust three times as soon as she entered the tournament. Not terrible. Yes, but when she hit that milestone in the first round in 2017, this former dancer landed the stars with her surprise victory in the final against Simona Halep. At the time, she became the first non-seed to win in Paris since Margaret Scriven in 1933. “It will take me two or three days I think, even a few weeks to achieve what I have just done”, she warned when lifting the Suzanne-Lenglen Cup.
Three years and a rambling career later, Ostapenko still hasn’t quite realized. But would she prepare a new Porte d’Auteuil hold-up? The 23-year-old (current 43e world) thus caused a little surprise by dominating Karolina Pliskova, seed number 2 (6-4, 6-2).
🔥🇱🇻 It’s over! Ostapenko makes short work of Pliskova (6/4 6/2)! The Latvian goes in the third round in t … https://t.co/iFOxXCqDPV
So yes, the Czech suffers from a rude allergy to clay, but the rare spectators of the Central have found the Ostapenko of spring 2017. Namely a young girl with a playful temperament who laughs after a gross mistake and sends cinder blocks from baseline the rest of the time.
On a good day, like this Wednesday, Ostapenko is able to panic the statistics with his winning points (27 against Pliskova) and give the impression of being able to touch the lines with his eyes closed. ” I’m happy to find this short, it reminds me of very good memories Said the Riga native with a smile after her match.
