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Back on Lenglen, Carreno Busta leads Jodar 6-4 6-4 1-1, a pass down the line taking him to deuce, but from there, Jodar serves out for 2-1 in the third. Aside from that calamitous run of nine games lost on the bike, he’s played OK, and that wasn’t something I expected from him, given his serve and mentality, but here we are.
Ah, in the gap, TNT are showing us Swiatek’s press conference, and she’s telling us how much she cares, saying she did everything she could to handle the situation, but there was nothing she could do and she needs to learn from it and get better. I wonder what she can do to stay relaxed – the intensity that brought her to this point sees to be working against her. Mats, meanwhile, thinks she needs to rediscover her identity as a player, taking a bit of power off and adding a bit more spin on – currently, she’s not quite sure what player she wants to be.
Next on Chatrier: Jesper de Jong v Alexander Zverev (2). That’s not scheduled until 3.30pm at the earliest, I think BST rather than CET, so we’re an hour away from that.
Fabrice Santoro wishes happy mother’s day to Svito, his own mum and all the mums; Svito adds in Bencic, noting how amazing it is that they played each other as youngsters and are now doing so as parents.
She tried to stay locked-in with her tactics and bring her best fighting spirit; you need to go in with a good mindset and she’s happy she’s stayed mentally fresh in her matches, facing difficult situations in a good way.
As for Kostyuk, she agrees it’ll be a great battle for Ukrainian tennis, with last-four representation guaranteed. It’s an amazing achievement for Ukrainian tennis so many great players in the top 100 and coming up – in a difficult situation following the invasion, it’s inspiring.
Carreno Busta serves out to lead Jodar 6-4 6-4 and, having spent most of this year playing Challengers, he’s looking good for a third Roland-Garros quarter-final.
Elina Svitolina (7) beats Belinda Bencic (11) 4-6 6-4 6-0
Svitolina didn’t panic after going behind, instead upping the aggression and watching her opponent fold. Next for her: Marta Kostyuk. Don’t mind if we do!
At 30-15, Carreno Busta dumps a backhand, while Bencic continues her disappearance and down advantage, faces match point.
Jodar holds, forcing Carreno Busta to serve for the second set at 6-4 5-4, while Svitolina holds, forcing Bencic to serve to stay in the match at 6-4 4-6 5-0.
Bencic – as she’s done so many times before – has gone. Svitolina breaks her again to lead 4-0 in the third, and this is over.
Swift love-holds for Svitolina and Jodar, pressure mounting on Bencic and Carreno Busta – who, down 0-30, will be starting to wonder for the first time in a while. From there, though, he closes out the hold, his lead 6-4 5-3, and he’s within a game of a 2-0 lead.
Jodar fights his arse off fort a break point … and Carreno Busta confiscates with a backhand down the line. No matter, he soon forces another go, and this time, he sweeps a tremendous backhand winner cross-court; is this the start of the comeback? He trails 4-6 2-4 while, on Chatrier, two glorious winners from Svitolina give her 15-40 … then she climbs into a second serve that sits up and begs violence, the forehand winner down the line securing a 2-0 lead in the third. Bencic is fading badly.
It’d be easy to say Jodar is knackered from the first five-setter of his career, but Careno Busta’s knowhow has also been significant, overcoming the power differential with angles. He leads 6-4 4-1, while Svitolina saves two break points and closes out, Bencic missing with four returns in a row.
And only needs one, Bencic fetching a backhand and dragging it wide; at 4-6 6-4, Svitolina levels the match, while Carreno Busta gives Jodar a lesson in harsh reality, holding for 6-4 6-0 lead, the winning streak now nine games. Jodar does then hold, but if he’s to win here he’ll probably need to take three sets in a row.
Oh, but then Bencic, down 15-30, inepts a mid-court forehand of her own into the net, and Svitolina has two set points…
Bencic gets to 15-40, stretches to divert a return back into court, and when Svitolina marches in to dispatch a routine putaway … she goes long! She did get nervous serving out, and at 6-4 4-5, we’re back on serve in the second!
Bencic holds for 6-4 3-5, and Svitolina will now serve for a decider; on Lenglen, Carreno Busta has a point for a double break in set two, having taken the first, and when Jodar goes wide on forehand, that’s eight games in a row! He leads 6-4 3-0, and this is now a collapse.
Carreno Busta is enjoying himself now, his forehand the dominant shot in the match and helping him to a break at the start of set two – he’s now taken the last five games and leads 6-4 0-1. On Chatrier, Svitolina holds for 4-6 5-2, and I don’t expect her to get nervous serving out – if, of course, Bencic holds.
From 0-40 down, Bencic holds for 6-4 2-4, back in the match after a mental break. Can she hit enough good balls into court to put Svitolina’s serve under pressure?
Carreno Busta makes 5-4 40-15, has two points to win a set he looked likely to be whacked out of … and only needs one, Jodar hooking a forehand wide. Tat’s four games on the spin and this is now a really good test of the youngster’s bona fides: so far, he’s shown terrific ticket and temperament, but maintaining that as second-favourite to win an open slam is a different thing.
Svitolina holds for 4-6 4-1, then Carreno Busta finishes another long struggle of a game with a winner; at 5-4, he’ll shortly serve for set one.
Carreno Busta has done really well to stay in this set – he might’ve gone down a double-break but now he’s got a break point at 4-4 … but tamely slices a backhand return well wide down the line. It’s also worth noting that Jodar’s first serve wasn’t up to much, but a glorious backhand winner down line – that’s more like it – means the veteran has another shy at it. Jodar, though, devastates a backhand of his own to set up the forehand winner, while Bencic, who almost broke Svitolina for 6-4 2-1, is now 15-40 down, lays a drop … into the net. She leads 6-4 1-3, and I don’t like her under pressure, at all.
After a protracted struggle, Carreno Busta retrieves the break taken from him by Jodar to trail 3-4 in the first; on Chatrier, a hold apiece means Bencic leads Svitolina 6-4 1-1.
Back to Swiatek, then, she was desperately poor in the second set today – her confidence, once impregnable, is now brittle, and I’m not sure she’ll ever get it back. Which isn’t me saying she’s done as factor at the top end of the game, not at all, just that the other players are no longer intimidated by her because they’ve seen weakness, and they’re not about to forget it. She can still win, of course, but she’ll have to play well, and can expect her second serve and forehand, in particular, to face attack in pretty much every match.
Only to waft a forehand long. Bencic does not love pressure, I’m afraid, but a sensational inside-out backhand lands right in the corner, seizing her another opportunity to clean up the set, and this time, a big serve out wide allows her to usher a backhand down the line. She leads 6-4.
A drop from Bencic … and it’s a delight, landing just over the net, and Svitolina can’t flick it back over so, at 5-4 advantage, she has set point.
Two forehand errors donate Svitolina 0-30, but an ace out wide makes 30-all … then a netted backhand means break point. It won’t be easy to recover if she can’t save herself, and does Svito’s volley-lob fall in? Not quite, so to deuce we mooch while, on Lenglen, Jodar had to do plenty to stave off a break-back attempt from Carreno Busta – his mental game is solid as you like – and he leads 4-1 in the first.
Better from Svitolina, who breaks to love – Bencic isn’t the most even of opponents, so I’m not surprised she tightened trying to secure the set. She does, though, play a terrific point to make 5-3 30-all … but excellent hitting from Svito secures the hold and forces Bencic to serve for the set a second time at 5-4. Pressure.
Jodar breaks Carreno Busta for 2-0, then Svitolina swats a backhand wide when break point down, and Bencic is in total command of this set at 5-3.
Jodar, now second-favourite for the men’s competition – amazing, given this is his first major – holds in game one against Carreno Busta, a wily veteran who’s made two quarters here and two semis in New York. He’s beaten Lehecka, Kokkinakis and Tirasnte to get to this stage, and though I can’t say I like his chances today, he knows his way around a clay court, so.
Chrissy was saying earlier that Svitolina has changed as a player since getting together with Gaël Monfils, her husband – she’s more attacking and aggressive now, and also has more power. She reckons the two practising together has had an impact, and I also wonder if his mindset has been as much an influence as his strategy – he played with joy and risk, now so does she. But can she finally make a the last four here, after losing five quarter-finals? And can she major final after losing four semis? Well she’s just been broken, so Bencic, who has a slightly looser, more natural style, leads 3-2.
We’re under way on Chatrier, Svitolina holding for 2-1 against Bencic.
Next on Lenglen: Rafael Jodar (27) v Pablo Carreño Busta.
Cirstea shares a long, deep hug with Marion Bartoli, then says it was a great match and she played really well, but at this level if you drop 1% intensity, it’s a problem and Wang started to play amazing, so she’s happy to close in two as it was getting hard.
“I have the pleasure to know you,” Marion says and there’s clearly a lovely friendship there. “Seventeen years ago, back in 2o09, you were there, at Roland Garros playing the quarter-final. Seventeen years later, it shows your resilience, your courage, your passions for this sport. You’re back there to the quarter-final of Roland Garros, I have chills just saying it, can you tell us what’s going through your body, your mind, your family watching it today.”
“There is no expiration date for ambition and for dreams,” comes back the inspirational response, and she goes on to discuss how much she loves the game and playing in front of her family and team. “I think sometimes society puts us in certain goups because of the age- she’s 36t– but I think in life you are free to do whatever you want and I want to play and here I am.”
Oh my goodness there’s more, and this is really a lot, in the best possible way,
“Sorana, I had the pleasure to coach you for a little bit, i always knew you had that tennis in your bag, but when you’re on the court right now what strikes me the most is your smile, your enjoyment for what you’re doing and your incredible confidence level,” Marion continues, before asking what her feeling is before the later stages.
Cirstea says she’s trying to enjoy herself – she learnt a lot from Marion, a a lot of tennis IQ. She very complete player, able to attack and defend, tennis ois her passion and she’s very grateful.
That, mates, was awesome.
Sorana Cirstea (18) beats Wang Xiyu 6-3 7-6(4)
Seventeen years after her first, Cirstea makes her second quarter-final at this competition. There, she’ll meet Mirra Andreeva or Jil Teichmann.
Right, on Lenglen, Cirstea leads Wang 5-4 in the tiebreak, just about winning a net exchange to raise two match points.
I totally missed this at the time, but Kostyuk danced after winning the first set, not the first time she’s busted moves on court, but in these circumstances? She’s feeling herself.
