Czech tennis player Markéta Vondroušová in the 2nd round of the French Open, May 31, 2023.
Paris – Karolína Muchová is so far the only Czech tennis player who advanced to the 3rd round at Roland Garros. She defeated the Argentine Nadia Podoroska 6:3, 0:6 and 6:3 on the Paris clay. On the other hand, the finalist of the tournament from 2019, Markéta Vondroušová, failed, losing to the ninth seeded Russian Darja Kasatkinová 3:6, 4:6. In the doubles, Barbora Krejčíková and Kateřina Siniaková unexpectedly ended, losing at the grand slams after 24 matches.
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Photo gallery: French Open 2023 tennis tournament
The top seeded pair lost to the Norwegian-Japanese duo Ulrikke Eikeriová, Eri Hozumiová 6:3, 2:6, 2:6 and lost the chance to win a third joint title in the French capital.
Twenty-six-year-old Muchová followed up her win over world number eight Maria Sakkariová of Greece. Against the 103rd player in the world, she played 33 winning balls, Podoroská had 20 less. The Czech tennis player reached the 3rd round in Paris for the third time in a row, which is also her maximum. Her next opponent will be either Italian Sara Errani or Romanian Irina Begu.
The Olomouc native entered the match with a lost serve, but immediately won four games in a row and won the first set in 42 minutes. The second set of Muchová did not work out, she made 16 unforced errors and for the first time at the Grand Slams she got the “canary”. The decision came at the end of the third set, when Muchová twice broke her opponent's serve from the score of 3:3 and used the second match point.
The twenty-three-year-old Vondrousová did not follow up her initial triumph over the American Alycia Parks. In a duel with last year's Roland Garros semifinalist, she made 35 unforced errors and lost it in an hour and 44 minutes. She did not start in France last year due to an injured wrist.
“Maybe if I played with someone else, maybe it would work out. But I'm not seeded, so I have to wait for such a draw. I'm glad that I won the round and this match was also good. I won't collapse from it and I'll take good things away. Darja is one of the best on clay, and it's no coincidence that she played the semifinals here last year,” Vondroušová told journalists.
The native of Sokolov lost to Kasatkinová for the third time out of five mutual matches. At the beginning of the first set, she won a break, but did not confirm it and lost her serve once more in the eighth game. In the second set, Vondroušová equalized from 0:2, but Kasatkinová, for example, flashed a tweener, i.e., a strike between the legs, at 2:3. “You could see throughout the match that she believed in herself a lot. And this put the crown on it. Then she hit another ball for me and it went. I think it will be the hit of the day,” said Vondroušová.
At 4 :3 The Czech missed two break points and Kasatkina won the remaining three in her favor. Vondroušová used only two of 12 break points.
Krejčíková and Siniaková's streak of 24 winning duels at Grand Slams ended and the Czechs lost their chance to win their eighth doubles trophy at these tournaments. The 27-year-old tennis players did not follow up on their triumph from the Australian Open in January. They committed 44 unforced errors, while their opponents had 19. In Paris, Krejčíková and Siniaková won the trophy in 2018 and 2021. They did not start a year ago because Krejčíková tested positive for the coronavirus.
The Olympic champions from Tokyo did not succeed in the French capital forget singles failures. Krejčíková was eliminated in Tuesday's 1st round against the Ukrainian Lesja Curenko, Siniakov, returning from a wrist injury, was not enough for the American Payton Stearns.
The Czech tennis players entered the match better and won the first set in 34 minutes thanks to two breaks. In the second set, however, they overcame a 0:3 loss and tied the opponents. In the end, Siniaková had her right leg treated. In the third set, the Czechs lost serve twice and did not win a single break. In the end, they saved two match points, but on the third, Siniaková sent the ball into the car.
French Open tennis tournament in Paris
(clay, subsidy 49.6 million euros)
Men:
Singles – 2nd round:
Tsitsipas (5-Greece) – Carballés (Sp.) 6:3, 7:6 (7:4), 6:2, Ofner (Austria) – Korda (24-USA) 6:3, 7:6 ( 7:1), 6:4, Fognini (It.) – Kubler (Aust.) 6:4, 7:6 (7:5), 6:2, Sonego (It.) – Humbert (Fr.) 6: 4, 6:3, 7:6 (7:3).
Women:
Singles – 2 . round:
Muchová (ČR) – Podoroská (Arg.) 6:3, 0:6, 6:3, Kasatkinová (9-Russia) – Vondroušová (Czech Republic) 6:3, 6:4, Pegula (3-USA) – Giorgio (It.) 6:2 scratch, Blinkova (Rus.) – Garcia (5-Fr.) 4:6, 6 :3, 7:5, Stearnsová (USA) – Ostapenko (17-Lot.) 6:3, 1:6, 6:2, Potapova (24-Russia) – Šarífová (Egypt) 3:6, 6: 4, 6:1, Mertensová (28-Belg.) – Osoriová (Col.) 6:3, 7:6 (7:3), Svitolina (Ukr.) – Hunterová (Aust.) 2:6, 6:3 , 6:1.
Quarters – 1st round:
Nosková, Chromačevová (CZ/Rus.) – Panovová, Sizikova (Rus.) 6 :4, 6:4, Bouzková, Sorribesová (Czech Republic/Sp.) – Kuliková, Changová (USA) 3:6, 6:4, 6:2, Eikeriová, Hozumiová (Nor./Japan .) – Krejčíková, Siniaková (1-CR) 3:6, 6:2, 6:2.
