The Round 3 of a Grand Slam is not one which is expected to give the 21-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams some headache but that is exactly what happened when she faced off with the 26th seed and local hope Kristina Mladenovic at the 2016 French Open in Paris on Saturday. The defending champion also had another problem to counter – a two and half hour rain delay. But in the end, she weathered them all for a 6-4, 7-6(10) win that sealed her entry into the Round of 16.
Mladenovic, who has a penchant for toppling top-10 players at Roland Garros, holds wins over Li Na and Eugenie Bouchard at this venue. Inspired by her own achievements and the vociferous crowd support, the 23-year-old brought forth her huge strokes to make it a tough outing for the World No. 1. Her dropshots continued to trouble the 34-year-old and she also had four break points none of which she could ultimately convert.
After the American managed to ward off the Mladenovic challenge to take the first set 6-4, the second set was more closely fought where Serena let go of nine break point opportunities.
In the ensuing tie-break, it was the 26th seed who surged to a 3-0 lead after the rain interruption but the determined Williams clawed her way back soon. The Frenchwoman, despite being put on the back foot each time, saved as many as four match points before Serena finally took the win courtesy of a Mladenovic error.
Hassle-free outing for Djokovic, Tsonga retires
In contrast, the men’s top seed Novak Djokovic had a breezy outing on Day 7 as he swept aside Great Britain’s Aljaz Bedene, 6-2, 6-3, 6-3. The only problem that the Serb faced was from the fading light as his match ended at 9.30pm local time.
Seventh-seeded Tomas Berdych got a scare but was able to triumph 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, 7-5 over the 25th seed and claycourt specialist Pablo Cuevas.
The Roland Garros crowd, however, suffered a heartbreak as the sixth seed and home favourite Jo-Wilfried Tsonga had to retire while leading Ernests Gulbis 5-2 due to a left adductor injury. The two-time semi-finalist sought to get his injury assessed and left the court with a trainer. But a tearful Tsonga announced his decision to quit on return.
The others winning in the men’s draw included the 11th seed David Ferrer who dismissed his compatriot Feliciano Lopez, 6-4, 7-6(6), 6-1. Also winning was the Indian Wells and Miami semi-finalist David Goffin, who carved out a 6-4, 4-6, 6-3, 4-6, 6-2 win over Nicolas Almagro.
Thiem wins the battle of the future stars
Dominic Thiem and Alexander Zverev gave a glimpse of a future rivalry that will be fought many times over in the course of the future as the Austrian entered the fourth round with a 6-7(4), 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 win over the German.
Their clash was a much-anticipated one and it began with a favourable start for the 19-year-old Zverev. But the 13th seeded Thiem, who has won two titles on clay this year, was not to be denied. He made in-roads into Zverev’s serve soon in the second set and was able to level the contest.
The German teenager was left to rue seven missed break point chances in the third and fourth sets as the slightly more experienced Thiem marched ahead.
Ivanovic ousted, Venus progresses
With four-time French Open champion Justine Henin watching, the 18th seeded Elina Svitolina put up an impressive display on Court 1 to oust the 2008 winner Ana Ivanovic 6-4, 6-4 and reach the fourth round. The young Ukrainian had never beaten the Serb in seven previous showdowns the last of which happened right here at the Roland Garros quarter-finals last year.
But this time, she looked supremely confident and had a set and a break lead quickly. She, however, almost lost the advantage when she was broken back in the second set to 4-4. But the 21-year-old succeeded in breaking the error-prone former World No. 1 once again and then served out the win.
2002 runner-up Venus Williams returned to the French Open Round of 16 for the first time since 2010, courtesy of a 7-6(5), 1-6, 6-0 win over the 50th ranked Alize Cornet.
2015 semi-finalist Timea Bacsinszky also progressed but it was the end of the road for the 29th seeded Daria Kasatkina, who bowed out 2-6, 6-3, 8-10 to Kiki Bertens of the Netherlands.
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