Caroline Garcia and Corentin Moutet, the two Frenchmen competing on Friday in the 3rd round of the US Open, qualified for the round of 16: the first with great authority, the second by hanging on. On Saturday, Richard Gasquet, Alizé Cornet and Clara Burel will in turn try to reach the round of 16.
Intractable and very confident, Garcia (17th in the world) totally dominated the 2019 winner Bianca Andreescu (48th). “I’m very happy with the way I played and to be in the second week. It was a very committed match. Lots of rallies… Every point, every game was very intense,” welcomed the Frenchwoman after sweeping the Canadian 6-3, 6-2 in 1h27.
“One of the big issues of the match was my ability to put pressure on him on each of his engagements. I really tried to take every opportunity that presented itself. To be inside the court before her, to play faster than her,” she added. At 28, the Lyonnaise is participating in her tenth US Open, where she had never passed the third round.
The New York Major is the least successful for her since she has already reached the round of 16 in the other three (Australian Open, Roland-Garros and Wimbledon) and even made it to the quarterfinals in Paris in 2017 .
First time for Moutet
“It’s the first time I’ve been in the second week here, it gives me confidence. Three wins in a row is great. These are games that give pleasure, which give confidence. It allows you to see what works. For me, it is clear. I want to continue in this direction,” said Garcia, irresistible at the end of the summer since she remains on a victory at the WTA 1000 in Cincinnati at the end of August.
In the round of 16, the former world N.4 will face the American Alison Riske (29th). Corentin Moutet, 112th in the world and drafted from the qualifications, will play for the first time in his career in the round of 16 of a Major. For this, he overcame the Argentinian Pedro Cachin (66th) 6-3, 4-6, 6-2, 7-5.
At 23 and for his fifth participation, he will face the Norwegian Casper Ruud (5th), finalist of the last Roland-Garros, with the key to a place in the quarter-finals. If Moutet fought 3h17 to dismiss Cachin, notably coming back from 0-4 in the fourth set before winning, his next opponent had even more difficulty to be there.
Ruud indeed took 4h23 to beat the American Tommy Paul (34th) in five sets, 7-6 (7/3), 6-7 (5/7), 7-6 (7/2), 5-7 , 6-0. Moutet had already reached the 3rd round in New York in 2020, his best result in a Major, as at Roland-Garros in 2019.