French Open 2021: Tamara Zidansek beats Paula Badosa to reach first Grand Slam semi-final
Slovenian Tamara Zidansek reaches her maiden Grand Slam semi-final with a hard-fought victory over Spain’s Paula Badosa at the French Open.
Slovenian Tamara Zidansek reaches her maiden Grand Slam semi-final with a hard-fought victory over Spain’s Paula Badosa at the French Open.
After his breakthrough run at the Australian Open, Aslan Karatsev’s tennis career changed forever. But the Russian had just one thing on his mind: playing mixed doubles with former WTA Doubles World No. 1 Elena Vesnina.
The all-Russian duo is currently into the semi-finals at Roland Garros, their first event as a team – and Karatsev’s first mixed doubles event of his career. The pair have an eye on an Olympic berth at the Summer Games in Tokyo, with the 27-year-old having already clinched his spot in singles after rising to a career-high No. 25 in the FedEx ATP Rankings.
“We spoke before the tournament, like two months ago, and I asked her to try to play mixed with me,” Karatsev said. “I was asking her if she wants to play mixed because it’s a good opportunity to play [in the] Olympics together. She has a good experience. She’s had a great career in the past [and] she continues right now after she stopped for two years.”
Karatsev reached out to the 2016 doubles Olympic gold medalist when Vesnina was still taking the first steps of her comeback to tennis after maternity leave. The former WTA No. 1, who owns three Grand Slam titles in doubles, including a victory at Roland Garros in 2013, stepped away from the sport for two years after giving birth to daughter Elizaveta in November 2018.
“I was honestly surprised when I saw the message from him,” Vesnina said. “He texted me in February. I had one match in [the WTA 500 event in] Doha. He was like, ‘Oh hey, do you want to play mixed with me at the French?’ And I was like, ‘Aslan, it’s only February!’”
The fiery Vesnina – who is ‘always pumped’, according to Karatsev – and the cool-headed Karatsev – who is ‘very, very quiet’, according to Vesnina – were a study in contrasts as they took down Rajeev Ram and Nicole Melichar en route to the last four in Paris.
“She was really pumped!” Karatsev said after their 6-7(3), 6-2, 10-8 comeback win over the second seeds. “I didn’t show that I was pumped, but I was trying to focus on the game. In the second set, she was staying pumped and she was always telling me we were playing good, ‘Keep going, keep going!’ Sometimes she tells me some advice, where I have to cover more and where I have to open more… She shares her experience.”
“He is a very, very quiet guy. He’s not talking a lot, he’s more inside himself – about his thoughts, about his game,” Vesnina said, after the pair turned around a 3/6 deficit to win the Match Tie-break. “I’m trying to relax the atmosphere a little bit. I would tell him, ‘You are better. You are so much better than everybody else on the court here. Just play your game. Just go with the flow, it’s your game and you’re playing great, and you’re the best on the court right now.’ Trying to give him that self-belief.”
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Vesnina knows what a bit of self-belief can do for Karatsev, who exploded onto the scene at the Australian Open with a run from qualifying to the semi-finals (l. Djokovic) in his Grand Slam main draw debut. The 34-year-old, who remembers watching Karatsev as a promising junior, was following his results from home and said the key was Russia’s ATP Cup triumph the week before.
“He’s a really great example of a player who didn’t give up, who keeps working hard, believing, playing smaller tournaments. He always had the game,” she recalled. “It was amazing that he broke through with this great run at the Australian Open, going from qualies to the semi-finals.
“But I think it was a great push up that he was in the Russian team the week before that won the ATP Cup. I think this gave him some confidence and self-belief. Because when you’re on the team and you have the shots, you just need a little bit of belief.”
Though they might have their wires crossed on who the leader of their partnership is – Karatsev, playing in his first mixed doubles event, thinks it’s him, while the experienced Vesnina knows it’s her – their common goal remains the same.
“I have a great partner, I’m really enjoying playing with Aslan,” Vesnina said. “He’s always so confident, so serious, and I’m a little bit more relaxed on the court. It’s great to play these big matches. That’s what you need: a big stage, big points, Super Tie-break. You need these kinds of matches to grow up and improve your game.”
“I have to get some experience in the mixed game,” Karatsev added. “Sometimes [going] to the net, [learning] where to move in the right spots at the right moments… It’s something new for me. It’s good experience. I like it.”
On Tuesday Karatsev and Vesnina face the third-seeded Dutch duo of Wesley Koolhof and Demi Schuurs for a place in the Roland Garros mixed doubles final.
With the fortnight in Paris winding to a close, there are two semi-final spots up for grabs on Day 10 at Roland Garros. Fifth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas will take on second seed Daniil Medvedev in an intriguing rematch of their Australian Open clash, while sixth seed Alexander Zverev will try to outlast the seemingly tireless Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the quarter-finals on Tuesday.
Medvedev and Tsitsipas will headline the night session on Court Philippe-Chatrier as they meet in the second week of a Grand Slam for the second time this year. On his favoured hard courts in Melbourne, the Russian triumphed 6-4, 6-2, 7-5 in the semi-finals.
Both players own a perfect 3-0 record in Grand Slam quarter-finals – but something will have to give in Paris.
[TENNIS POINT]Medvedev is in terra incognita at Roland Garros, contesting the quarter-finals on a surface on which he has just begun to find his footing. By contrast, Tsitsipas excels on clay, with three of his seven career ATP Tour titles coming on this surface, including two in 2021.
“I learned that [at] Roland Garros, I need to play like on hard courts because [here the ball] is bouncing low and fast,” Medvedev reflected. “Definitely what I learned is that I can move really well on clay. For this, I need to have good shots. If you don’t have good shots, [the] good players on clay, they start to move you all around the court and you have no chance to get back into the point.
“Here, I’m able, with these balls, with these conditions, to make shots that [are] not going to let my opponent attack me straight away. Then I can take control of the game and be a great mover on clay.”
Never in doubt, eh @DaniilMedwed ?#RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/0d9bQCcfcF
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) June 7, 2021
Medvedev has dominated the matchup against Tsitsipas, whom he leads 6-1 in their ATP Head2Head, including a victory on clay (1-0) at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters in 2019 en route to his first ATP Masters 1000 semi-final. The pair played each other three times in 2019, a breakthrough season for both. That year, Medvedev reached his first Grand Slam final with an unforgettable run at the US Open, while Tsitsipas went on to lift the Nitto ATP Finals trophy, the biggest title of his career.
They’ve only soared to new heights since, with Medvedev reaching No. 2 in the FedEx ATP Rankings and adding a Nitto ATP Finals and three Masters 1000 trophies to his cabinet. He could also rise to World No. 1 if he lifts the Coupe des Mousquetaires, or if he reaches the final and Djokovic does not.
Tsitsipas, who is back at his career-high World No. 5 ranking, is the tour-leader in matches (37) and clay-court matches won (20). He won his maiden Masters 1000 title in Monte-Carlo in May, and claimed his seventh tour-level title in Lyon.
“He does serve extremely well, I have to say,” Tsitsipas said. “He has improved over the years with his serve. This is going to be something that I will have to face. Of course, myself playing well, I feel like I don’t have to think against who I’m facing or not.
“I just have to play my game, and let the rest be witnessed.”
In the Chatrier day session, sixth seed Zverev will take on the unseeded Davidovich Fokina for the second time at a Grand Slam. Zverev will take a 2-0 lead in their ATP Head2Head into the matchup after defeating him at last year’s US Open, where he dropped just five games.
With marathon world champion Martin Fiz in his corner, Davidovich Fokina has tirelessly worked his way through the draw after winning back-to-back five-setters in the second and third rounds, including an upset over 15th seed Casper Ruud. The Spaniard is into the last eight at a Grand Slam for the first time.
Read More: Davidovich Fokina: A Marathon Man With The Fitness Of A Bull
“These wins give me plenty of confidence, much more energy to keep going and to see where my limits are,” Davidovich Fokina told ATPTour.com. “Winning [against Ruud] in five sets also helped me see how far I can go and how much I can take. My whole team is very happy and I’m happy with the work we’ve been doing.”
Davidovich Fokina will be aiming to follow in the footsteps of David Ferrer (2013) and become the second Spanish man after Rafael Nadal to reach the semi-finals at Roland Garros since 2005.
Zverev, who reached the quarter-finals here in 2018 (l. Thiem) and 2019 (l. Djokovic), has the upper hand in terms of Grand Slam experience. The 2020 US Open finalist was in head-turning form as he dismantled Kei Nishikori in the fourth round at the expense of just six games. The German hasn’t dropped a set since his five-set clash against qualifier Oscar Otte in the opening round.
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“I hope I continue playing the same way I did this match. Maybe even better,” Zverev said after his 6-4, 6-1, 6-1 win over Nishikori. “Now we’re in the quarter-finals and there are only eight of us left. The opponents are not getting easier. You need to perform at your best, play at your best.
“No matter who you’re playing, they already won four matches. I’m looking forward to that, of course. I know it’s not going to be any easier from this moment on.”
After Diego Schwartzman reached the Roland Garros quarter-finals on Monday, the Argentine joked that while he was happy to advance, he was not as excited at the prospect of facing 13-time Rafael Nadal. Whether the 10th seed likes it or not, the legendary lefty is next.
“I think at the beginning of every match against Rafa, you have to walk on the court thinking [about] winning the match, to have opportunities, to get opportunities,” Schwartzman said. “[It is important to] think about something else and not think about Rafa [being] on the other side of the net.”
It is no secret that Schwartzman has not had an abundance of success against the Spaniard. Nadal leads their ATP Head2Head series 10-1, and the Argentine knows it will take a very high level for several hours just to have a chance.
“If you think about the four, five hours you are going to play, if you think about everything about Rafa in Roland Garros, he’s very difficult to play,” Schwartzman said. “You have to go on court, think about the tactics, think about how to play your best game.”
Besides the mental approach to the match, Schwartzman believes it will be important to get off to a good start. He believes players who start well against Nadal can then better focus on the task at hand if they come out firing.
“I think it’s very important not just for me, just also for Rafa when the opponent starts with good tennis, the match is going to [go] a different way,” Schwartzman said. “It’s always tough. But at the end it’s Rafa and you never know what is going to happen, and everyone knows that it’s going to be very difficult.”
Watch Highlights: Schwartzman’s Rome Win vs. Nadal
Schwartzman earned what he calls the biggest win of his career against Nadal last year in Rome. Just weeks later, he lost against the Spaniard in straight sets in the Roland Garros semi-finals. No matter what happens when they clash on Wednesday, the 28-year-old is excited for the opportunity.
“Playing against Rafa in these kinds of tournaments, it’s always a good time to know how good are you playing. It’s always a good challenge,” Schwartzman said. “I know we played two times here [and they] were good matches, and now let’s see what happens. I have to enjoy today, a day [off] tomorrow, and let’s see what happen on Wednesday.”
The lawns are alive on the ATP Challenger Tour. For the first time in two years, grass-court tennis is back on the circuit. This week, the Viking Open Nottingham welcomes a stacked field that includes World No. 27 Daniel Evans, second seed Frances Tiafoe and former Wimbledon finalist Kevin Anderson.
With freshly-painted lines and the smell of crisp blades of grass filling the air, the manicured lawns of the Nottingham Tennis Centre greet players and fans this week. High-octane tennis returns to the British metropolis for a 14th year, as the venue hosts back-to-back Challenger 125 events.
The fabled home of Robin Hood hosts one of the more prestigious tournaments of the year, with Alex de Minaur lifting his maiden Challenger trophy in 2018 and Evans continuing his march to the Top 30 with a title in 2019. Following the tournament’s cancellation a year ago, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the British No. 1 returns to Nottingham as the defending champion.
“I’m really happy to back in Nottingham,” said Evans, following a first-round victory over Thanasi Kokkinakis. “It’s an amazing court and it’s great to be here again.”
Evans was made to work on Monday, rallying from a set down to defeat Kokkinakis 4-6, 7-6(1), 7-6(5).
“Thanasi is a great player and it was positive to play someone so good so early in the tournament. I was enjoying it out there.”
Evans is joined by countrymen Liam Broady, Jay Clarke and Ryan Peniston in the field, in addition to Tiafoe, Anderson and #NextGenATP star Brandon Nakashima. Italian veteran Andreas Seppi, seeded third, is the only player in the draw with an ATP Tour grass-court title (Eastbourne 2011).
It is a manic month of June on the ATP Challenger Tour, with prestigious clay-court stops in Aix-en-Provence, Lyon and Prostejov also on the calendar. This week’s Open Sopra Steria in Lyon features Pablo Cuevas as its top seed. The tournament was the site of World No. 21 Felix Auger-Aliassime’s maiden Challenger conquest in 2017.
Next week, the Czech Open in Prostejov is back for a 28th edition, while the Challenger 125 event in Aix-en-Provence, France, returns for an eighth straight year. At the Nottingham Trophy, former World No. 7 Richard Gasquet headlines the field, alongside Yoshihito Nishioka, Steve Johnson and Emil Ruusuvuori. Anderson and Seppi are also back in action.
Hard-court events in Orlando, USA and Porto, Portugal are also on the June slate, as well as back-to-back clay-court stops in Almaty, Kazakhstan and Italian events in Forli and Milan. Hope hope Norbert Gombos headines the field in Bratislava, along with #NextGenATP star Juan Manuel Cerundolo.
June Challenger Calendar
| Week |
Tournaments |
| June 7 |
Nottingham-1, Almaty-1, Lyon, Bratislava, Orlando |
| June 14 | Nottingham-2, Almaty-2, Aix-en-Provence, Prostejov, Forli |
| June 21 | Milan |
| June 28 | Porto |
Britain’s Katie Boulter says she feels stronger than ever as she gets her grass-court campaign off to a winning start in Nottingham.
Daniil Medvedev and Stefanos Tsitsipas will reignite their often ill-tempered rivalry when they meet in the French Open quarter-finals on Tuesday.
Pablo Andujar and Pedro Martinez did not win more than one match at a tournament together in their three previous tournaments as a doubles team. Now, the Spaniards are into the Roland Garros semi-finals.
Andujar and Martinez defeated Indian Rohan Bopanna and Croatian Franko Skugor 7-5 6-3 on Monday to reach the last four in Paris. They saved six of the seven break points they faced to advance after one hour and 17 minutes.
The singles standouts both earned a win in the singles draw this fortnight. Andujar stunned two-time finalist Dominic Thiem in the first round, and Martinez got revenge against American Sebastian Korda, who beat him here last year. Although they both lost in the second round in singles, they are two wins from claiming the doubles trophy.
The Spaniards will next play Alexander Bublik and Andrey Golubev, who eliminated Monaco’s Hugo Nys and German Tim Puetz 6-4, 6-4 in one hour and 16 minutes. The Kazakhstani duo also made the third round at this year’s Australian Open together.
The other two men’s doubles quarter-finals will be played on Tuesday. Second seeds Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah will face two-time defending champion Kevin Krawietz and his partner, Horia Tecau, while sixth seeds Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut will clash against Tomislav Brkic and Nikola Cacic.
Britain’s Alfie Hewett retains his French Open wheelchair singles title with a straight-set win over top seed Shingo Kunieda.
Novak Djokovic avoids a shock fourth-round exit at the French Open after fighting back from two sets down against teenager Lorenzo Musetti.
