Tennis News

PARIS, France – Less than 48 hours after winning the longest match of 2016, No.25 seed Irina-Camelia Begu booked her first career fourth round appearance in Roland Garros with a 6-4, 2-6, 6-1 win over Annika Beck. With No.6 seed Simona Halep’s third round victory over Naomi Osaka, it marks the first time two Romanians have reached the second week in Paris since 1997.

One of the most consistent forces on clay this season, Begu has had to battle through each of her first three matches – squeaking out wins over Americans Bethanie Mattek-Sands and CoCo Vandewghe to start the week – and it proved no different against Beck, who recovered from losing the first set to force a decider.

“It’s a bit tough because I’ve played all the matches three sets and was longer than two hours,” she told press after the match.

“In the second set I was feeling a little bit down physically, but then I said that I just have to play my game, to be more aggressive, because otherwise I will have no chance.”

“I think I did great in the third set.”

Great would be an understatement; despite losing a long game to begin the final set, Begu roared through the last six, converting the win at love to reach the second week, hitting 36 winners to 18 from Beck in the two hour and five minute contest.

“I have to enjoy every moment, so that's what I remember now. I'm just trying to keep this in my mind.” #RG16 pic.twitter.com/T8GcgztOYE

— Roland Garros (@rolandgarros) May 27, 2016

“I’m really happy about my win. Yeah, it was a tough match, but I was prepared for that.

“So I’m just happy that I got through.”

Begu makes up one half of the first Romanian pair through to the second week in Paris for the first time in nearly 20 years, when Irina Spirlea and Ruxandra Dragomir both reached the round of 16 – the latter went on to finish in the quarterfinals.

The Romanian will next play Shelby Rogers, who won an up-and-down 6-0, 6-7(3), 6-0 match against No.10 seed Petra Kvitova.

“She started playing much better in the second,” the American said after reaching the second week of a Grand Slam for the first time in her career. “I was just trying to take it point by point, because if I started to think too much, she for sure would have the advantage there. Just one point at a time, one point at a time.

“I don’t know if I could call that a habit yet, but I hope to create one out of it. That would be nice,” she added with a laugh.

“Yeah, it's pretty surreal. I'm obviously at a loss of words. It's really exciting”

Super Shelby. #RG16 pic.twitter.com/qkTsN3oFsR

— Roland Garros (@rolandgarros) May 27, 2016

On a day of big upsets, Begu and No.13 seed Svetlana Kuznetsova emerged victorious over their opposition, as the 2009 champion blew past No.24 seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, 6-1, 6-4.

When asked how she felt about her win, Kuznetsova countered, “I feel about everything,” and discussed a brief hiccup in the second set.

“I got messed up. I was up – I’m not sure how much, 3-1, 40-15, I guess – and then I was down 4-3. I got tense and started to do weird things instead of playing the game I was playing.

“Then at 4-3 I came back to play long rallies and trying to move her around.”

Sveltlana Kuznetsova est en 8ème après sa victoire contre Pavlyuchenkova 6-1 6-4 #RG pic.twitter.com/97clao8Wis

— Roland Garros (@rolandgarros) May 27, 2016

An all-Russian affair and a tussle between two former Roland Garros finalists highlights the action on Day 6. We preview the key third-round matchups at WTATennis.com.

Friday, Third Round

Samantha Stosur (AUS #24) vs. [11] Lucie Safarova (CZE #13)
Head-to-head: Safarova leads, 11-3
Key Stat: Stosur owns 2-6 record vs. Top 20 players in 2016.

Two former finalists that sauntered into Roland Garros with low expectations and fitness issues suddenly find themselves with a golden opportunity to reach the round of 16. Lucie Safarova’s bacterial infection and reactive arthritis issues have been well-documented, but the Czech has steadily improved her health in the last few months and is now starting to resemble her peak form here in Paris. Last year’s runner-up has dropped just six games in two rounds and says she’s feeling better each day. “I’m taking it step by step, really just enjoying the moment and of course trying to reach the best result,” she said on Wednesday after storming past Viktorija Golubic. Stosur came to Paris with a serious left wrist injury but the Aussie has acquitted herself quite well without full use of her two-handed backhand. Health issues aside, the matchup is not a favorable one for Stosur. Her eleven losses to the Czech have left her shaking her head numerous times in the past. “It’s a tough match-up,” Stosur said. “She’s probably the person I’ve played the most in my career and she’s never easy to beat. I know that.”

Pick: Safarova in three

[2] Agnieszka Radwanska (POL #2) vs. [30] Barbora Strycova (CZE #33)
Head-to-head: Radwanska leads, 4-0
Key Stat: Strycova has a 2-12 lifetime record against Top 10 players at Grand Slams.

So far, so good for Agnieszka Radwanska at Roland Garros. The World No.2 made the unconventional decision to skip Rome in order to practice on the clay at home and the decision is paying dividends. Having won all four sets she’s contested, Radwanska will next face a player that she’s owned in the past for a spot in the second week. But that player, the ever crafty and pugnacious Barbora Strycova, is not one to be taken lightly. The 30-year-old has produced 22 wins this season, including a giant upset of Garbiñe Muguruza at the Australian Open. “She’s playing great tennis, especially on clay,” Radwanska said of the Czech. “For sure another tough match. I’m healthy, in one piece, and I’m just ready for the next one.”

Pick: Radwanska in three

[13] Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS #15) vs. [24] Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (RUS #27)
Head-to-head: Kuznetsova leads, 4-1
Key Stat: Kuznetsova is contesting the third round at a major for the first time since the 2014 French Open.

Suddenly surging Svetlana Kuznetsova has labelled herself a “black horse” (think dark horse, but a little more menacing) at this year’s French Open. Will the pedigreed Russian gallop into the second week? To do it she’ll have to get by compatriot Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, who is playing in the third round at a major for the first time in over three years. Kuznetsova holds the significant edge in the pair’s head-to-head, and she possesses the far more impressive clay pedigree, having won Roland Garros and reached the quarterfinals or better seven times, so it’s a very tall order for the World No.27. But Pavlyuchenkova is a world-class ball striker and a former Roland Garros quarterfinalist who is no doubt eager for the chance to demonstrate that she has what it takes to make another deep run at a major.

Pick: Kuznetsova in three

[6] Simona Halep (ROU #6) vs. Naomi Osaka (JPN #101)
Head-to-head: First meeting
Key Stat: Halep has lost four times to players ranked outside of the Top 100 at majors, including this year’s Australian Open.

Simona Halep just wants to put her head down and march through her matches one point at a time. It’s a constant theme in her pressers, and a constant challenge for her on court. Can she deflect the pressure of being a former finalist in Paris so that she may focus on dismantling the game of a talented yet unproven Naomi Osaka in round three? “I just want to do my job here,” Halep said after her second round victory over Zarina Diyas. “I had two good matches here already. I’m looking forward to play the third one.” Halep struggled at times with consistency in defeating Diyas, and this year’s Madrid champion knows that she’ll have to be at her best to take down the dangerous 18-year-old from Japan. “I expect a tough one,” she said. “She’s a young player and she has nothing to lose. It’s going to be good match, and hopefully I will win it. I’m here to win.”

Pick: Halep in two

Around the Grounds: Alizé Cornet and Tatjana Maria had heated words after their three-set thriller on Day 5. On Day 6 they’ll stand across from one another on the doubles court as Cornet and Magda Linette take on Maria and Madison Brengle on Court 4. Popcorn will be essential. American Sloane Stephens will bid to reach the second week at Roland Garros for the fifth consecutive year when she meets Tsvetana Pironkova on Court 1. No.4 seed Garbiñe Muguruza (vs. Wickmayer) and No.10 seed Petra Kvitova (vs. Rogers) will also be looking to reach the second week.

By the Numbers:

5-1 – Garbiñe Muguruza’s record in third-round matches at majors, but the Spaniard lost her last one in Australia to Barbora Strycova.

6 – Number of former Grand Slam champions to reach the third round at Roland Garros this year (Kvitova, Ivanovic, Kuznetsova, Stosur, Serena Williams and Venus Williams).

-Chris Oddo, wtatennis.com contributor

PARIS, France – On a special Dropshot edition of the podcast, top tennis coach and commentator Darren Cahill joins the team at Radio Roland Garros to discuss why he chose to team up with Simona Halep, what his time in Romania has been like, and he expands on his coaching philosophy.

As Cahill says, he coaches Simona because he wants to, not because he has to. “I don’t have to do this,” he says. “I’m very lucky. I’ve worked with many great players, like Hewitt and Agassi. I want to do it. I think the world of her, I think she’s a great person, I think she’s a wonderful talent. I’m away from my family 25-30 weeks a year. Some people see it as a sacrifice. I look at it as a choice.”

More from Cahill: “I think a coach has to do their job and sometimes that is delivering a tough message. I haven’t always delivered the positive message to Simona, there have been times like in Rome, I delivered a couple of tough messages to her. They were not taken in a positive way straight way, but in time you go back on them and you talk about those discussions and you try and learn from them.

“And a coach is not always right either. Part of a coach’s job is to try and coach through the player’s eyes. I look at tennis a certain way and there are certain things that happen on the court and I don’t understand why they’re happening. So I have to sit down and ask questions to the player as to why they’re making certain decisions in those moment and quite often I’m wrong because the player doesn’t see tennis the way I do. So a good coach I think learns to coach a player through their eyes.”

Tune in to Radio Roland Garros for more interview and commentary from the French Open.

Subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or on any podcast app of your choice and reviews are always helpful, so if you like what you’ve heard so far, leave us one. You can also get new episode alerts by following us on Twitter @WTA_Insider.

PARIS, France – No.26 seed Kristina Mladenovic has saved some of her best tennis for her home major tournament, and this year’s Roland Garros appears to be no different; the French No.1 eased past former doubles partner Timea Babos, 6-4, 6-3 to book a third round clash with 21-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams.

Mladenovic and Babos spent the last few years as one of the tour’s top doubles teams, reaching the 2014 Wimbledon final and qualifying for the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global, but the former began 2016 with countrywoman Caroline Garcia in preparation for the Rio Olympics, while the latter has paired with fellow big hitter Yaroslava Shvedova.

“It was extremely difficult to prepare this match,” she said in her post match press conference. “And she is a girl I know by heart. She’s one of my best friends. We have known each other since we were really kids.

“When you know your opponent by heart usually this is not good, because there’s pressure, there’s tension. You anticipate her shots, you try and change your game to surprise her.

“But it’s also the attitude, the general atmosphere. You don’t exactly know what to expect and what to do.”

French hopeful Mladenovic sets up 3R meeting with defending champion Serena w/straight sets win over Babos. #RG16 pic.twitter.com/0doXa0xw6Z

— Roland Garros (@rolandgarros) May 26, 2016

Mladenovic and Garcia have come into the doubles event as favorites to end Martina Hingis and Sania Mirza’s bid at the Santina Slam, while Babos is in the midst of a career-best season, upsetting Venus Williams in the Internazionali BNL d’Italia after starting the clay court season with a run to the semifinals in Rabat.

The match appeared straightforward from the start for Mladenovic, who raced out to a quick 3-0 lead, but lost the next four games despite holding points for 4-1. That proved to be the final twist in Court Philippe Chatrier’s last match of the day, as the 23-year-old won the last three games on the bounce to clinch the opening set, and just one service break decided the second for her to win the match in 79 minutes.

“I tried to work a lot on statistics with my coach. This is what we did. We looked at her past seven or eight matches on clay in the recent weeks, or, for instance — well, we looked at her stats. That’s to help me in what I was going to do.

“But look at her stats, today she did totally the contrary of what you have in the data.

“This is the beauty of our sport. It’s also why this match was difficult. I was ready.”

In what could be a rivalry for the future, the two exchanged powerful groundstrokes from the back of the court, with Mladenovic hitting 22 winners to Babos’ 13, but it was the 22 erros from the big-serving Hungarian that proved disastrous; Mladenovic managed to reign in her error count to 18.

Serena Williams stands between the Frenchwoman and the second week of Roland Garros; the two have never met before, but the three-time champion will could well face stiff opposition from the inspired youngster and the enthusiatic French crowd.

“The first word I would use is ‘at last,’ because, well, what can I say? It’s going to be difficult. Maybe I wanted to have a better draw, but then also I think it’s very positive.

“I have to take it very positively. This is an experience, something to do, it’s a dream. I grew up watching Serena play. Then I’m going to play against her.

“So she is the best, I think, in my sport. She’s a legend. I’m extremely happy, because this is a challenge.

“She is dominating. She’s been dominating every single match in the recent years. And it’s going to be very complicated. And as we speak, frankly, I’m very happy so far. I enjoy what I have done. I know how difficult it was for me at the beginning of the tournament, so what I will do is – of course I will debrief my matches. I will enjoy these two wins, and then I will try and get ready as best I can for this match against Serena.”

Earlier in the day, Virginie Razzano wasn’t able to match Mladenovic and Alizé Cornet’s wins against No.29 seed Daria Kasatkina, falling, 3-6, 6-1, 6-3, but Pauline Parmentier backed up her run to the quarterfinals of the Internationaux de Strasbourg with a 6-3, 6-1 win over Irina Falconi. No.15 seed and Rome finalist Madison Keys continued her clay court renaissance, defeating Mariana Duque-Mariño, 6-3, 6-2 to book a third round encounter with either Julia Goerges or Monica Puig.

Karin Knapp followed up her upset win over No.5 seed Victoria Azarenka by beating Anastasija Sevastova, 6-3, 6-4, and will play Yulia Putintseva, who pulled off an upset of her own over No.28 seed and 2014 semifinalist Andrea Petkovic, 6-2, 6-2.

Dominika Cibulkova and Carla Suárez Navarro booked the most high-profile clash as the Mutua Madrid Open runner-up recovered from a second set hiccup to shut out Ana Konjuh, 6-4, 3-6, 6-0, while Suárez Navarro was emphatic in her 6-1, 6-3 victory over Wang Qiang. 

La joie de @kikimladenovic après sa victoire contre timea babos ! elle est au 3ème tour ?? #RG16 https://t.co/xvYycG6O2G

— Roland Garros (@rolandgarros) May 26, 2016