2023-07-08 09:28:13
Big sun for Berrettini, less for Halys and the French… Action Plus / Panoramic / Shaun Brooks / AFP / GLYN KIRK
The sun was finally out this Friday for the fifth day at Church Road. But French men’s tennis remains in the shadows while local hero Murray still thrilled his audience… if not winning.
At Wimbledon,
Berrettini returns
The finalist for the 2021 edition landed in London, without landmarks. The magic of the All England Club has struck. The Italian dominated Alex de Minaur in three sets (6-3, 6-4, 6-4) in 2h11 in the 2nd round. The Australian was coming out of a final at Queen’s. Relying on his big serve (13 aces and 88% success behind his firsts), Berrettini recalls that he remains a serious customer on grass and erases bad memories. He had to forfeit in 2022 due to a positive Covid-19 test: “It is a very sharp pain. I was probably in the best shape of my career, and I felt particularly good on grass. Not being able to play is something that, even when I felt better physically, was very difficult to overcome mentally. “. A year later, Berrettini green again. Alexander Zverev, his future opponent, is warned.
A women’s game in history
Epic and historic third round this Friday at Wimbledon. Ukrainian Lesia Tsurenko and Romanian Ana Bogdan played the longest tie-break in the history of women’s tennis with a 20-18 victory for Tsurenko (4-6, 6-3, 7-6) after a terrible 3:40 fight. After saving five match points, the Ukrainian won on her 7th match point. Assailed by cramps, the two players went to their limits. This tie-break of 38 points equals the Grand Slam record set for men by Andy Roddick and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the first round of the Australian Open.
Warrior Murray, Magnificent Loser
Led two sets to one by Andy Murray on Thursday night when their second round fight was interrupted by curfew, Stefanos Tsitsipas overthrew the veteran on Friday (7-6, 6-7, 4-6, 7-6, 6-4), after a hell of a fight, 4 hours 40 minutes long. The best match since the start of the tournament which (finally) set the Center Court on fire. Tsitsipas showed great strength of character to change the course of a meeting that got off to a bad start. Car Murray, 36, displayed an amazing level of play. The stats speak for themselves (54 winners for Murray, 78% success at the net and only 25 unforced errors). In the end, a defeat that almost sounds like a victory.
FLOPS
The Blues sadly in their place
They were 16 French players, at the start, in the men’s singles draw at Wimbledon 2023; and they are all already eliminated after five days of competition. With the logical defeat of Quentin Halys against Jannik Sinner, in the wake of that, even more expected of Alexandre Müller against Carlos Alcaraz, French men’s tennis already stops in the 3rd round. A sad habit. And if we take away the successes obtained at the end of 100% French confrontations, we obtain only four victories… Skinny, very skinny. It’s still better than at Roland-Garros where none of our representatives made it past the second round.
Norrie it’s already over
Murray, Broady (defeated by Shapovalov) left the tournament. And the British public saw their best asset disappear in turn. Surprise of the 2022 edition, where he had reached the semi-finals, the left-hander Cameron Norrie was ejected in the second round after a defeat in four sets against the American Christopher Eubanks (6-3, 3-6, 6- 2, 7-6). A fit man, it must be said, since he won Mallorca before the London Grand Slam. Outsider announced, Norrie falls from above.
A surreal exchange at a press conference
Surreal scene at a press conference this Friday. Touched in the back and in physical difficulty in recent months, Paula Badosa, the current companion of Stefanos Tsistipas was forced to throw in the towel against Marta Kostyuk in the 2nd round of Wimbledon (at 6-2, 1-0 for the Ukrainian ). Present in front of the media, the Spaniard had to face an embarrassing situation since she was congratulated by a journalist who believed that she had… won. badly mastering the language of Shakespeare, the journalist insisted on his return to form. Polie, Badosa, surprised and dismayed, repeated that she had lost and that she did not feel in good shape, in view of her abandonment…
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