All tennis fans will necessarily remember only one match from this second Sunday at Roland-Garros: the extraordinary battle between Rafael Nadal and Félix Auger-Aliassime, won by the Spaniard after 4:21 (3-6, 6 -3, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3) of very very high level. But many other things have happened on the courts of Porte d’Auteuil…
The prince of the night: Carlos Alcaraz
The new nugget of world tennis shone once again in the night session. After largely dominating Korda in the previous round, Carlos Alcaraz did not leave many more opportunities to the Russian Khachanov (n°21) in three short sets (6-1, 6-4, 6-4 in 2h14), even if he had a little trouble concluding (six match points). As the game had taken a bit of a delay due to the sumptuous showdown between Nadal and Auger-Aliassime, the young Spaniard, world No. 6, made it a point of honor not to go to bed too late… Gratifying the audience with a masterful lob between the legs to break at 3-3 in the last set. One of the points of the fortnight. Tuesday, in the quarterfinals, he will face Alexander Zverev (No. 3). Hooked, worried, but solid, Zverev perfectly resisted the Spanish surprise Zapata Miralles, who defeated Isner and Fritz in the previous rounds. The German notably got out of a monstrous standoff during the first set, won 13-11 in the decisive game. The world No. 3 finally won 7-6, 7-5, 6-3 in 2:45.
The perf: Leylah Fernandez
The young Canadian (No. 17), 19, never ceases to amaze. After battling nearly three hours against the Swiss Bencic (n° 14) in the 3rd round, the former winner of the junior tournament dismissed in three sets (6-3, 4-6, 6-3) the American Anisimova (n° 27), faller of Osaka for its entry into the running in the competition. All under the eyes of Thierry Henry…
In a completely featherless women’s draw (Swiatek is the only one of the world’s top ten still in the running), the finalist of the last US Open has a lot to play for. In the quarterfinals, she will face the Italian Trevisan, 59th in the world, who dominated the Russian Sasnovich (7-6 (10), 7-5).
The French: Caroline Garcia and Kristina Mladenovic
Since Saturday evening, to find Blue on the courts, you no longer have to look at the singles tables. In doubles, on the other hand, tricolor tennis still has some colors. Caroline Garcia and Kristina Mladenovic qualified for the round of 16 on the Simonne-Mathieu court by beating Japan’s Doi and Australia’s Tomljanovic (5-7, 6-4, 6-2). The blue pair have already won the tournament in 2016.
“We are very happy with the way we fought and to have found solutions”, summarizes Garcia. “We still have some experience. We also played in the Fed Cup final together (and Australia and 2019), adds Mladenovic. Even though it’s been a long time since we’ve played doubles together (she won several Grand Slams with the Hungarian Babos) and doubles in general, well, we played. »
The number: 7
Novak Djokovic left only seven small games to the Argentinian elf Diego Schwartzman (6-1, 6-3, 6-3)… To sign his seventh victory in as many confrontations. For the 16th time, the world No. 1 is present at the meeting of the quarters in Paris.
The phrase: “If I had to give myself a grade, I would only give myself A’s”
The American Coco Gauff, 18, who has just graduated from high school is quite proud of the copy made since the start of the fortnight. On Sunday, she qualified for the quarter-finals by beating Belgium’s Mertens 6-4, 6-0.
“You don’t always play your best tennis in Grand Slams, but I’m improving as I go, analyzes the seeded n° 18. To be the best in class? I must pursue my path, I must not be afraid when I am less successful. This is one of the great lessons of last year (where she was taken out in the quarters by future winner Barbora Krejčíková). In the next round, Gauff will face her compatriot Sloane Stephens, finalist in 2018, who made short work of Switzerland’s Teichmann (6-2, 6-0).
L’image
Martina Trevisan is back. At 28, the Italian has never passed a second round in a Grand Slam. Except at Roland-Garros, where she reached the semi-finals in 2020. Two years ago, the native of Florence had the misfortune to come across Iga Swiatek. This time, the world number 1 is in the other part of the table…
THE MAIN RESULTS OF THE 8TH FINALS
Dames : Fernandez (EU/No. 17) b. Anisimova (EU/No. 27) 6-3, 4-6, 6-3; Trevisan (Ita) b. Sasnovich 7-6 (10), 7-5; Gauff (EU/No. 18) b. Mertens (Belle/No. 31) 6-4, 6-0
gentlemen : Djokovic (Ser/#1) b. Schwartzman (Arg/#15) 6-1, 6-3, 6-3; Zverev (All/#3) b. Zapata Miralles (Spa) 7-6 (11), 7-5, 6-3.