The 6:7(5),6:4,6:4 victory of the 17-year-old Russian Mirra Andrejewa on Wednesday over the number two seeded Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka can be described as a sensation. Before that, the Italian Jasmine Paolini had eliminated the number 4, Jelena Rybakina from Kazakhstan, with 6:2,4:6,6:4.
This means that one of the two surprises is in the final of Roland Garros. In this final, either defending champion Iga Swiatek (POL-1) or Coco Gauff (USA-3) will be the favorite in any case.
However, Sabalenka had health problems in the first set and was given medication when the score was 3:1. Andreyeva took advantage of this to take a 5:3 lead, but Sabalenka fought her way into the tiebreak, which she won with a stop ball. At the start of the second set, Sabalenka again seemed to be affected and received a warning for taking too long a break between two games.
Andrejewa managed to equalize the set and a high-class exchange of blows developed in the third round. The underdog managed the decisive break in the last game with the second match point. A coolly played lob. Andrejewa thus became the youngest semi-finalist at Roland Garros since Martina Hingis 27 years ago. The Australian Open winner Sabalenka had not lost a single set in any major match this year.
“I played on match point as if I had to fend off a break point, and that’s how I managed to win,” was Andreyeva’s first comment on the court.
Paolini had previously completed the “Italian Festival” in France by reaching her first major semi-final. After Jannik Sinner in the men’s competition, the 28-year-old northern Italian, who is only 1.65 m tall, was the next to cause celebration in her homeland. Paolini had two balls to make it 5:3 in the second set, but was unable to close the match. Finally, she managed the decisive break in the third set to make it 5:4.
“It’s an incredible feeling,” said Paolini a few minutes after the victory. “It was a tough match. I was a bit too emotional in the second set. But then I tried to hit every ball and somehow managed it. I tried to forget what happened in the second set.” Paolini, coached by her compatriot Renzo Furlan, has now moved up from 15th place in the world rankings to the top ten; her best placing so far was 12th place.
My themes
For your bookmarked topics
new articles found.
info By clicking on the icon you add the keyword to your topics.
info
By clicking on the icon you open your “my topics” page. You have of 15 keywords saved and would have to remove keywords.
info By clicking on the icon you remove the keyword from your topics.
Add the topic to your topics.
Source: Nachrichten
