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Mladenovic Moves Into Strasbourg Semis

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

STRASBOURG, France – No.4 seed Kristina Mladenovic reached her first semifinal of the season with a 6-4, 6-2 win over qualifier and fellow doubles star Alla Kudryavtseva at the Internationaux de Strasbourg.

Watch live action from Strasbourg this week on WTA Live powered by TennisTV!

Mladenovic took to court 24 hours after clinching an epic third set tie-break over Alison Riske, and exchanged four straight service breaks to start against Kudryavtseva, a former World No.56 who was playing her first WTA quarterfinal in nearly 18 months.

“It was a quick match and it’s the ideal scenario before a semifinal, to be able to get some rest and not walk out on the court tomorrow tired,” Mladenovic told wtatennis.com after the match.

“I changed up my shots a lot today which i think was the key.”

Settling quicker, the French youngster survived losing serve in the penultimate games of each set to ease past the hard-hitting veteran, who is poised to move up over 30 spots following a run through qualifying that saw her take out No.9 seed Alizé Cornet in the first round.

Mladenovic became the third from her country to advance into the Strasbourg semifinals on Thursday, after Caroline Garcia and Virginie Razzano both reached the final four; the last time three French women made it this far at a WTA tournament was in 2006, when Tatiana Golovin, Mary Pierce and Amélie Mauresmo all contested for the Paris Indoor title – ultimately won by Mauresmo.

Mirjana Lucic-Baroni ended the hopes of a first French shutout for the first time since the 1999 Generali Ladies Linz (Mauresmo, Pierce, Sarah Pitkowski, Sandrine Testud), defeating Pauline Parmentier, 6-0, 6-1, to complete the semifinal line-up.

“You always want people from your county to do well and it’s great for French Tennis in general, and nice for the fans here – this is our home,” Mladenovic said of the high level of French success in Strasbourg.

Lucic-Baroni is not only in her first WTA semifinal of the season, but this is the farthest she has been in Strasbourg since 1997 when, within weeks of turning pro at 15 years old, she reached the final – falling to former No.1 and WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai Tournament Ambassador Stefanie Graf.

“It was pretty perfect,” the veteran said after the match. “You can’t ask for much more. I’ve been playing really well. And she’s a great player. It’s just I played really well today and didn’t let her in.”

Forced into qualifying after failing to enter the tournament in time ended up being an auspicious opportunity to the Croat to play her way into form, upsetting No.8 seed Timea Babos earlier in the week.

“I missed the deadline by one day – one day!” She laughed. “So I entered qualies. I got two extra matches and it was a really good decision, clearly.

“I’ve been here a few times, but many years ago. It a beautiful tournament, a beautiful city and right before Roland Garros, so it’s good for confidence.”

A former World No.16, Razzano continues to play her best tennis in Strasbourg, reaching her second straight semifinal at the WTA International, again beating Elena Vesnina in the quarterfinals, 6-1, 3-6, 6-1.

“It’s great to be in the semifinal – my first for a long time!” the veteran exclaimed after the match. “It was a quick turn around from last night’s win. Right now I’m playing well.

“Today against Vesnina it wasn’t easy despite the scores in the first and third set. I’ve found my rhythm and it’s been building from my wins against Shvedova, Puig and playing in qualies.

“I’m working hard. Today it’s paid off.”

Garcia was the second Frenchwoman to advance with Samantha Stosur was forced to withdraw from the event citing a left wrist injury.

 “I have had some pain in my left wrist for the last few days,” the Aussie said. “I tried to practice yesterday and felt a lot of discomfort and unfortunately I can’t take to the court today.

“It’s difficult as I’ve rarely had to withdraw from a match in my career.

“I’ve played some good tennis here this week and I’m disappointed I won’t be able to properly defend my title here in Strasbourg .”

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Serena Handed Tough Paris Draw

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

PARIS, France – Friday’s French Open draw has placed defending champion Serena Williams on a quarterfinal collision course with rival Victoria Azarenka.

Williams, the top seed in the French capital, heads up a strong top half of the draw which features fellow Grand Slam champions Azarenka, Venus Williams, Angelique Kerber, Ana Ivanovic and Francesca Schiavone.

Four years ago Williams was victim of one of the great upsets in French Open history, succumbing to World No.111 Virginie Razzano in the first round. Meeting her at that stage this time around is Magdalena Rybarikova.

Should she clear this hurdle, the American will face either Teliana Pereira or Kristyna Pliskova in the second round, before potential dates with French No.1 Kristina Mladenovic and 2008 champion Ivanovic in the third and fourth rounds, respectively.

However, most intriguing is the prospective showdown between Williams and Azarenka in the last eight. While Williams has won the vast majority of their 21 encounters, it has rarely been straightforward, the Belarusian running her close several times last year – including in Paris – and coming out on top this March in Indian Wells.

Since following up her Indian Wells triumph with victory in Miami, Azarenka’s progress has stalled slightly, a back injury hampering her clay court campaign. And if she is to make her appointment with Williams she will need a clean bill of health, after landing in a section of the draw that also includes Andrea Petkovic, Carla Suárez Navarro and Dominika Cibulkova.

No.3 seed Angelique Kerber finds herself in slightly less threatening company, although she will be wary of prospective third-round opponent Daria Kasatkina. Recent Rome runner-up Madsion Keys is seeded to meet the German in the fourth round.

In the bottom half, No.2 seed Agnieszka Radwanska will get underway against Bojana Jovanovski. Traditionally Radwanska has struggled to make an impression on the terre battue, reaching one quarterfinal from her nine visits, and her hopes of adding to this tally have not been helped by the draw.

Like Williams, the Pole finds herself in a tricky quarter. Awaiting her in the second round could be the mercurial Frenchwoman Caroline Garcia, before a likely third-round meeting with Rome quarterfinalist Barbora Strycova.

Should she negotiate the treacherous path to the last 16, former finalist Sara Errani or Sloane Stephens could lie in wait. The last two finalists, Lucie Safarova and Simona Halep, are the next highest seeds in Radwanska’s section.

No.4 seed Garbiñe Muguruza opens up against Anna Karolina Schmiedlova, while 2009 champion Svetlana Kuznetsova and Ekaterina Makarova are likely to pose the biggest threat to her making it beyond the first week. Also in this quarter are Roberta Vinci, Petra Kvitova and Karolina Pliskova.

Click here to see the full draw.

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Insider Notebook: Rainy Day Start

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

Petra Kvitova survives: When Sunday’s schedule first came out, my eyes immediately zoomed in on the first match on Court Philippe Chatrier: Petra Kvitova vs. Danka Kovinic. The first thought that came to mind was whether it could possibly be that the two-time Wimbledon champion might bow out of the French Open before the tournament actually felt like it was underway. The threat seemed real given Kvitova’s struggles with an abdominal injury before the tournament and the very heavy conditions that would be in play on Sunday.

Kvitova looked to put those concerns to bed after building a quick 6-2, 3-0 lead over Kovinic, who had a solid clay season. The Montenegrin reached the final of the Instanbul Cup a few weeks before and can be a dangerous player when her game is clicking. It clicked in just in time.

The big-hitting Czech wobbled in the second set and Kovinic pounced, playing some fantastic counter-punching tennis to take the match into a third set. For much of the final frame she looked like the better player, as she combatted Kvitova’s heavy strokes with some magical defense of her own.

Kovinic served for the match at 5-4 only to get broken on a tremendous game from the Czech, who reeled off the final three games to win. The win underlined one oft-overlooked aspect of Kvitova’s game: She’s a fighter. Her game may desert her at times but she’s there until the end. She’ll play Hsieh Su-wei in the second round.

Rain cancels eight matches, suspends three: The rain came later than expected in Paris, leading to a three-hour rain delay and early end to the day after a short resumption.

Five matches were able to finish before the rain came. In addition to Kvitova, No.11 seed Lucie Safarova, No.24 seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, Swiss qualifier Viktorija Golubic, and Hsieh Su-Wei advanced to the second round.

The following matches were in progress when play was called:

Svetlana Kuznetsova leads Yaroslava Schvedova 4-6, 6-1, 3-1.
Nicole Gibbs leads Heather Watson 7-5, 2-6, 2-1.
Aliaksandra Sasnovich leads Cagla Buyukakcay 7-5, 6-7(2), 2-1.

Cancelled matches, which included Garbiñe Muguruza and Simona Halep’s openers, as well as in-progress matches will take place on Monday.

Golubic earns her first win at a Slam: The 23-year-old from Zurich made her Grand Slam debut at the Australian Open in January and earned her first main draw win at a major on Sunday, beating Alison Riske 6-1, 1-6 6-2. She’ll play Safarova in the round. Ranked No.130, Golubic earned wins over Karolina Pliskova and Barbora Strycova in the Fed Cup semifinals last month. That’s a nice run of form.

Cagla Buyukackay looks to make more history: By qualifying for the main draw, the Istanbul Cup champion became the first Turkish woman in the Open Era to play in the singles main draw at a Slam. In fact, there are two Turkish women in Paris, as she was later joined by 2014 US Open junior champion Ipek Soylu hours later.

With her match against Sasnovich suspended, Buyukackay will continue her quest to become the first Turkish woman to win a main draw match at a Slam on Monday.

Serena Williams and Venus Williams unseeded and looming: The doubles draw is out and all eyes were on where Serena and Venus would land. They’ve been drawn into the section of the draw led by No.2 seeds Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Lucie Safarova and will open against the fiery young pairing of Jelena Ostapenko and Yulia Putintseva.

Radwanska, Muguruza, and Halep headline Day 2: Serena Williams was originally scheduled to play on Monday but the rain-delays on Sunday meant a reshuffling of the schedule. Radwanska starts her tournament against Bojana Jovanovski on Court Philippe Chatrier, Muguruza plays Anna Karolina Schmiedlova on Court Suzanne Lenglen, and Halep takes on Nao Hibino on Court 2.

Full order of play here.

Roland Garros Preview: Listen to the new episode of the WTA Insider Podcast for a full breakdown of what to expect over the fortnight in Paris and hear from the top players themselves as they discuss their expectations and preparations for the second major of the season.

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Serena & Sloane Named Fittest Athletes

Serena & Sloane Named Fittest Athletes

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

WTA World No.1 Serena Williams came in at No.5 on Sports Illustrated’s Fittest 50, a list of athletes across all sports disciplines that an expert panel named as the fittest in the world.

The 21-time Grand Slam champion’s overall fitness was evaluated and her unmatched strength, power, agility and quickness stood out to SI’s experts, as well as her longevity: at 34 years old Williams now owns 70 career titles and doesn’t look ready to slow down any time soon.

Serena Williams

To come up with the Fittest 50, the editors of SI worked with a panel of trainers, strength and conditioning coaches, performance experts, pro athlete coaches and more. Athletes were assessed based on characteristics that define fitness and conditioning: strength, speed, endurance, agility, flexibility and skill in their respective sports.

No.22-ranked Sloane Stephens also joined Williams on the list at No.38, and it’s no surprise why with three WTA titles under her belt this year already. The American’s fitness routines are well-documented on her social media: she typically does a morning workout in the gym followed by a couple of hours of work on the tennis courts.

SI’s experts highlighted her gym routines, which include battle ropes, Bosu balls and pull-ups.

Sloane Stephens

Visit Sports Illustrated’s Fittest 50 for a complete list of the world’s fittest athletes in all of sports.

 

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Insider Notebook: Of Olympics & Epics

Insider Notebook: Of Olympics & Epics

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

Irina-Camelia Begu survives an epic: The Romanian, seeded No.25 in Paris, held off a barrage of power from CoCo Vandeweghe to win 6-7(4), 7-6(4), 10-8 in 3 hours and 38 minutes, the longest WTA match of the season so far. Vandeweghe served for the match at 5-4 in the third but Begu broke back and eventually worked her way to the win. It will be a tough loss for the American to swallow. Begu plays Annika Beck for a spot in the Round of 16.

Read more about Begu’s journey back from injury and how professional tennis runs in her family here.

Victoria Azarenka’s frustrating clay season: The World No.5 had all the momentum in the world heading into the clay season, but her mind and body just would not cooperate. On Tuesday, Azarenka retired down 4-0 in the final set to Italy’s Karin Knapp, a player who is well familiar with physical fragility herself.

After losing just one match on hard courts in the first three months of the season and winning three titles – including the first two Premier Mandatory events of the year at Indian Wells and Miami – Azarenka’s clay season was one to forget. She won just two tour matches on red clay and failed to notch a win over anyone ranked inside the Top 40. The back injury she sustained at the Mutua Madrid Open seemed to have healed up in Paris, but against Knapp she appeared to suffer a right knee injury that eventually led to her retirement.

Azarenka did not speak to reporters after the match.

Francesca Schiavone clarifies retirement rumors: No, Francesca ain’t done yet. Schiavone received a hero’s ovation after losing in straight sets to Kristina Mladenovic in the first round, but clarified after the match that, despite an announcement by Roland Garros, she had not retired.

Timea Bacsinszky’s tasty tales: What is it like to cover the first week of a Slam? It involves a lot of stairs, battery checks on your recorders, and cold sandwiches, often eaten at your desk as you monitor results. So this was a particularly painful read:

Kristina Mladenovic mixes it up: Mladenovic confirmed to reporters that she will play mixed doubles with Pierre Hugues Herbert at the Olympics.

Garbiñe Muguruza and Petra Kvitova bouce back: After getting pushed to three sets in the first round against Anna Karolina Schmiedlova, the No.4 seed rolled to a 6-2, 6-0 win over French wildcard Myrtille Georges. Kvitova was two points away from a first round exit as well against Danka Kovinic. She rolled past Hsieh Su-Wei 6-4, 6-1 on Wednesday to move through to the third round.

Agnieszka Radwanska

Shhhhh…Agnieszka Radwanska looking comfortable: The No.2 seed has not dropped a set through two rounds, with wins over Bojana Jovanovski and a tough Caroline Garcia. “I’m healthy, in one piece, and I’m just ready for the next one,” Radwanska said afterwards.

Read why I tentatively picked Radwanska as a darkhorse for a deep run. Pressure and expectation free, this might be the year she puts it together on clay. Or not. We’ll see.

Can Samantha Stosur snap her Safarova streak?: Stosur is into the third round and will face a familiar foe in last year’s Roland Garros finalist Lucie Safarova. The Czech is 11-3 against Stosur. It’s Stosur’s worst head-to-head record behind her 15-2 mark against Maria Sharapova.

Naomi Osaka streaks through a Slam once again: The 18-year-old is into the third round of her Roland Garros debut, this time beating an in-form Mirjana Lucic-Baroni 6-3, 6-3 to set up a big test against No.6 seed Simona Halep.

Here’s a fun exchange between Osaka and a reporter about her desire to play Serena Williams.

Q. Speaking of Serena, you always wanted to play her. In Australia you looked a little bit disappointed to find out that you don’t have an opportunity to play against Serena until like a semifinals or something. I was wondering this year when the draw came out, did you watch where Serena is and did you find that opportunity to play against Serena?

NAOMI OSAKA: Well, she’s all the way on the other side of the draw. Like she’s always at the very top. Then I saw my name wasn’t there, and I was like, ah. I got over it kind of quickly. Was that it?

Q. What was your reaction when you found that you don’t have an opportunity to play her until the final?

NAOMI OSAKA: Disappointment? But then I’m like, okay, so maybe I have a chance to win my rounds then.

Elena Vesnina and Ekaterina Makarova are out…of singles: The doubles partners took surprising second round losses on Wednesday, with Vesnina bowing out to Shelby Rogers and No.27 seed Makarova losing to Yanina Wickmayer in three sets.

Caroline Garcia

The pressure of playing at home: Caroline Garcia will walk away from the clay season with a big win on home soil. It just won’t be here in Paris. The Strasbourg champion couldn’t find her best when it mattered against the crafty Radwanska, but the atmosphere and the effort she put in was very positive.

“I enjoyed the court,” Garcia said. “I enjoyed Lenglen. I enjoyed the public. I’m disappointed. I can play better. But it was a wonderful moment. It was very emotional. The public supporting me helped me coming back in the match when I thought it was over.

“I think they believed more in me than I believed in myself.”

Day 5 Matches to Watch: Timea Bacsinszky vs. Eugenie Bouchard, Venus Williams vs. Louisa Chirico, Madison Keys vs. Mariana Duque-Mariño, Camila Giorgi vs. Kiki Bertens, Andrea Petkovic vs. Yulia Putintseva, Kristina Mladenovic vs. Timea Babos.

Olympic teams shape up: A quick look at the Olympic race:

– Germany: With Annika Beck’s run to the third round, the top four Germans on the Monday after the French Open will be Angelique Kerber, Andrea Petkovic, Laura Siegemund, and Beck. That’s not to say that’s the confirmed team: all players are still subject to Federation and Fed Cup requirements.

– Russia: The Vesnina and Makarova’s losses mean the Russian Olympic team is nearly set, with Svetlana Kuznetsova, Maria Sharapova, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, and Daria Kasatkina the top four singles players. If Sharapova is unable to play in Rio, that fourth spot will go to Makarova.

– United States: CoCo Vandeweghe needed to make the final to overtake Sloane Stephens or Madison Keys for the fourth Olympic spot. While Louisa Chirico is still mathematically in the hunt, it’s looking like the US will send Serena Williams, Venus Williams, Madison Keys, and Sloane Stephens in singles.

– Three bubble players to watch: Even one more win could mean the difference between Rio and summer vacation for Alizé Cornet, Zhang Shuai, and Wang Qiang.

Photos courtesy of Getty Images.

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Halep Survives Osaka Scare

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

Former finalist Simona Halep was forced to dig deep to defeat Naomi Osaka and keep her dreams of a maiden Roland Garros title alive.

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Evert, Navratilova Tag Kerber & Kuznetsova As Top Singapore Threats From Atop SkyPark

Evert, Navratilova Tag Kerber & Kuznetsova As Top Singapore Threats From Atop SkyPark

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

SINGAPORE – There’s squad goals, and then there’s the WTA Legends, who were out in full force on Thursday morning to take in the incredible view from the top of the Marina Bay Sands before Day 5 action began at the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global.

WTA Finals Ambassadors Martina Navratilova, Chris Evert, Monica Seles Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario, Iva Majoli, and Mary Pierce took to the highest peak of the world-famous hotel to pose for a series of photos at the Marina Bay Sands’ SkyPark, offering sprawling views of the city; they later enjoyed some Singapore delicacies at Spago, hosted by Chef Joshua Brown.

“We have a clear day today, so I’ve never seen this far away,” noted Navratilova to WTA Insider. “It’s an amazing, bustling city. I drove around yesterday, went shopping at the Mustafa Centre that’s open 365 days a year, 24 hours a day; it was amazing. There’s so much energy here.”

Navratilova has been on hand for much of the week, looking forward to the start of the doubles event, where eight teams will compete for a trophy named in her honor.

“It’ll be interesting because Kristina Mladenovic and Caroline Garcia had the best year, but mostly because Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis stopped playing together. They had a bit of a falling-out, but they’re playing here. That dynamic between Sania and Martina, how they get along, will be crucial.

“If they can put whatever happened between them behind and play good tennis – because doubles is a team sport, and you really need to play together – I’m looking forward to that more than anything.

“At their best, Hingis and Mirza are the favorites because they have the biggest weapons and know-how, how to play the points. But Mladenovic and Garcia would be a close second favorite.”

Evert arrived on Wednesday night, but is in familiar territory, having visited Singapore three times before.

“Oh my god, it’s beautiful!” she enthused. “The tough thing is getting here; it’s a long way from Florida – 21 hours – but once you get here, it’s breathtakingly beautiful, especially the Marina Bay Sands.”

A longtime commentator for ESPN, the 18-time Grand Slam champion tagged Angelique Kerber as her Player of the Year, and the one most likely to lift the Billie Jean King Trophy at week’s end:

“Angelique Kerber’s impressed me, winning two Grand Slams. No one’s done that in so many years besides Serena Williams, really.

“She’s been playing some really great tennis, more aggressively. She’s really stepped it up with her game. Mentally, she’s gotten tougher, and she’s looking tough here too.”

Navratilova echoed her old rival’s sentiments on Kerber, but gave an honorable mention to No.8 seed Svetlana Kuznetsova, the first of Singapore’s semifinalists following her three-set win over Karolina Pliskova.

“It’s great to see because a couple of years ago, we all thought she was probably done, that she was going to fade away and retire. She kept coming back and, lo and behold, played some of her best tennis this year.

“It’s really good to see her out there, still fighting, still enjoying it and competing so well, emotionally, mentally, and most of all, physically.”

Qualifying on the last day of the regular season, Kuznetsova’s effort completed the closest Road to Singapore leaderboard in WTA history. Evert believes the photo finish presented a strong case for just how tough the tour has become.

“It just shows the depth at the top. In previous years, you’d have Serena, and then a gap between her and the other women.

“Now, there’s no gap; the Top 8 are all relevant, and are all capable of winning this WTA Finals. I’m really happy to see that the depth is finally there again at the top of the game.”

With this season nearly in the books, Evert is already looking ahead to what promises to be an exciting 2017.

“Let’s put it this way. Victoria Azarenka is going to have a baby in December and she’s thinking about coming back; that’ll be interesting. Serena’s always interesting; can she break Stefanie Graf’s record? They’re both at 22 right now, and how much longer is Serena going to be at the top of her game? Maria Sharapova’s coming back in April or May.

“There’s going to be a lot of big stories.”

Official WTA Finals Mobile App, Created by SAP

 

 

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SAP Coaches View: Radwanska's Return Of Serve

SAP Coaches View: Radwanska's Return Of Serve

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

SINGAPORE – Agnieszka Radwanska’s strong return of serve was key to her win over Karolina Pliskova 7-5 6-3 in the final round robin match of the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global. The victory earned Radwanska a spot in the event’s semifinals.

One of the best returners in the game, Radwanska was facing one of the best servers in the game in Friday’s match.

Through this season, Radwanska is among the Top 3 on the WTA for return points won (49%), return games won (49%) and break points converted (54%).

She was facing an opponent in Pliskova who led the WTA in aces (530) and was second for first serve points won (74%) in 2016.

The SAP Coaches View shows that it was Pliskova’s second serve that was vulnerable to Radwanska’s return, with the Pole winning 61% of those points.

The “Return of Serve” tracking with Coaches View shows that a key to Radwanska’s success was her aggressive approach in taking those Pliskova second serves. Radwanska returned 78% of Pliskova’s second serves from inside the baseline.

SAP Coaches View

During the first two round robin matches of the tournament, Pliskova won 47% of second serve points, compared to 36% against Radwanska. Neither of her first two opponents, Svetlana Kuznetsova and Garbiñe Muguruza, were as aggressive as Radwanska in taking the ball early. Kuznetsova returned 57% of Pliskova’s second serves inside the baseline, while Muguruza did so just 10% of the time.

SAP Coaches View

SAP Coaches View

The SAP Coaches View combines scoring information direct from the chair umpire with tracking data from HawkEye to allow for an in depth look at five different aspects of a match. Each tracking option can be filtered to narrow the focus to specific situations within a match, such as break points.This information is available directly to coaches in real-time during a match on their SAP tablet and also available to them online after matches.

“Return of serve” tracking shows where each service return was struck, differentiating between first and second serves, with an emphasis on how many serves are returned from inside the baseline. This data can be filtered by a particular score.

Radwanska broke Pliskova five times in 10 games during Friday’s match, giving the defending champion a berth in the semifinals as she aims for a second straight WTA Finals title.

SAP Coaches View

Official WTA Finals Mobile App, Created by SAP

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Rogers Roars Into QF At Roland Garros

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

PARIS, France – Shelby Rogers beat the odds on Sunday, dispatching No.25 seed Irina-Camelia Begu, 6-3, 6-4 at the French Open to reach her first-ever Grand Slam quarterfinal.

Rogers proved she could play on clay earlier this year when she reached the final of the Rio Open, but the unseeded American had never been past the third round at any major tournament in her career. Meanwhile, Begu had enjoyed the most consistent clay court season of anyone in the field, reaching the quarterfinals in Charleston and Madrid, and the semifinals in Rome.

Nevertheless, Rogers has been the Cinderella story of the tournament, taking out No.17 seed Karolina Pliskova, Volvo Car Open finalist Elena Vesnina and No.10 seed Petra Kvitova just to reach the second week. Playing on Court Suzaane Lenglen, she took it to her Romanian opposition, hititng 15 winners and nine fewer unforced errors than Begu, who only hit 12 winners in two sets.

“I think any player has to be ready to do well every week,” she said in her post-match press conference. “We enter the tournaments with expectations, of course, to do well or work on things or, you know, with certain goals in mind.

“If you don’t expect to do well, then maybe you shouldn’t play, you know. I keep going back to trying to treat this as any other tournament, any other tennis match. Obviously the stakes are much higher and the players are much better.

“I’m just trying to stick with my routines and do what I have been doing all year.”

Up a set and 4-2, Rogers briefly saw her lead under threat as the No.25 seed surged back to level the second.

“I won the first set and it was working. Okay, I missed a few, but still going for the right shots kind of thing. So just keep going after it I kept telling myself. It was working in the first, it’s going to work again. So keep doing it.”

Maintaining the course, a fifth break of serve in the tenth game proved decisive for the 23-year-old American, who clinched the biggest win of her career in one hour and 21 minutes.

“I really enjoyed playing on that court. It was a great experience.

“I think that’s a very important point on backing up a big win. I guess I have done that pretty much this whole tournament, starting with the first round, because that was a huge upset for me and kind of set the tone for the last few matches I have played.”

Setting up a quarterfinal encounter with No.4 seed Garbiñe Muguruza, Rogers becomes the first American not named Venus or Serena Williams to make it this far at the French Open since 2005 (Lindsay Davenport) and, at No.108 in the world, the lowest ranked player since 2012, when qualifier Yaroslava Shvedova won her way into the last eight, ranked No.142.

“I keep reminding myself to play one point at a time and that this is just another tennis match. But that’s getting a little bit harder to do as the rounds get farther.

“But I’m very happy with the way I played, and I just hope to continue it.”

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