Ukrainian tennis players at Roland Garros: first results of the tournament
26 May 18:22
On Sunday, May 25, the opening day of the French Open brought mixed results for Ukrainian tennis. Five representatives of our country started competing on the Parisian courts, demonstrating different levels of readiness for prestigious competitions, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports.
Elina Svitolina: a confident victory for the leader
Ukraine’s top-ranked player traditionally demonstrated a high class of play in the opening match. In a meeting with Turkish player Zeynep Sonmez, the experienced Ukrainian left her opponent no chance, winning with a score of 6:1, 6:1.
Svitolina completely controlled the match, allowing her opponent to win the minimum number of games. Such a confident performance was the continuation of a successful series – this is Elina’s eleventh consecutive victory in her debut matches at the French Open.
In the next round, the Ukrainian will meet Hungarian Anna Bondar, who defeated German Laura Sigmund at the start.
Anastasia Soboleva: a worthy debut against a strong opponent
It was the 21-year-old from Dnipro’s first appearance in the main draw of a Grand Slam tournament. Soboleva made her way to the main draw through the qualifiers, where she defeated two British players who were far ahead of her in the rankings.
The draw gave her a difficult task – a confrontation with the 11th world number one Diana Schneider from Russia. The beginning of the match was not good for the Ukrainian debutant, who lost 0:5 in the first set.
However, Soboleva demonstrated her character, leveling the score and even taking a 6-5 lead. At a critical moment, her opponent suffered an ankle injury after falling, but was able to continue the game after a break. The first set was decided in a tiebreaker in favor of the Russian.
The second game was evenly contested until the score was 2-2, after which the opponent’s class prevailed. The final score of 6:7(3), 2:6 does not reflect the real struggle shown by the Ukrainian.
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Diane Yastremska: Successfully overcoming the first round
Despite the fact that clay courts are not Yastremska’s favorite, she confidently coped with the task of the first round. Her opponent was Australian Destani Ayawa, who received a wild card and hasn’t played on clay at all this season.
The first set was spent adapting to the court conditions and the wind. Yastremska gained an advantage only in the end of the game, winning it 7-5. In the second set, the Ukrainian was in full control, giving her opponent only one game.
In the next round, Diana will meet the same Diana Schneider who defeated Soboleva.
Marta Kostiuk: unexpected failure
The day of Ukrainian women’s performances was completed by a young but experienced tennis player Marta Kostiuk. Her rival was 19-year-old Czech Sarah Beilek, who had qualified for the final and defeated Ukrainian Yulia Starodubtseva.
Kostiuk started the match with a 2-0 lead, but then the Ukrainian tennis player’s game began to deteriorate dramatically. Numerous errors in the exchange of blows were added to the traditional problems with serving.
The Czech tennis player quickly realized her opponent’s weaknesses and began to actively use the tactics of long backhand rallies, which often ended in mistakes by Kostyuk.
After a 3-3 tie in the first set, Beilek won nine of the next ten games to win 6-3, 6-1. For Kostyuk, it was her fourth loss in the first round of Roland Garros in eight attempts.
Yulia Starodubtseva: a strong-willed victory for the “Lucky Loser”
It is worth noting the success of Julia Starodubtseva, who got into the main draw as a “Lucky Loser” after eliminating Romanian Sorana Kirsti. In a tense three-set match, she defeated Germany’s Tamara Korpach with a score of 2:6, 6:1, 6:4.
The match lasted more than two hours and was marked by dramatic changes in the course of the fight. After an unsuccessful start, Starodubtseva was able to pull herself together, completely outplay her opponent in the second set, and in the third set, she showed her character in the decisive moments, gaining a ticket to the second round.
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