Five French were engaged in singles, Thursday, May 26. Among them, Léolia Jeanjean joins Diane Parry in the third round of Roland-Garros. Gilles Simon and Hugo Gaston delighted the Parisian public, when Alizé Cornet disposed of Jelena Ostapenko in “night session”. Only Caroline Garcia was eliminated against Madison Keys.
Gilles Simon prolongs the pleasure
At 37 and for his last professional season, Gilles Simon postpones the deadline for his last match at Roland-Garros. Carried by the boiling public of the Philippe-Chatrier court, which he set on fire with a few strokes of genius, the Habs won in three sets against the American Steve Johnson (7-5, 6-1, 7-6 [8-6]).
Two days after his stunning match against Pablo Carreno Busta, “Gillou” found the resources to deliver a new intense match. “I had an unreal match two years ago days, he confided afterwards. There, it was different, I had a huge stress at the beginning. He will find Marin Cilic, for a third round between veterans.
Alizé Cornet tumbles in the third round
Alizé Cornet continues on her merry way. Applied throughout the three rounds, the Frenchwoman disposed of Jelena Ostapenko (6-0, 1-6, 6-3) during the night session. No small feat, given the pedigree of her opponent, winner of the tournament in 2017. Even copiously dominated in the second set, Cornet struggled to turn the tide.
“I tried to be as stable as possible, in the head too and that, at home, is not won. So I’m very proud”she savored after the meeting. This is the best performance of the Niçoise Porte d’Auteuil since 2017. She will challenge Qinwen Zheng, 74th in the world and Simona Halep’s faller, Thursday.
Hugo Gaston with good memories of 2020
When he plays on Parisian soil, Hugo Gaston is no longer the same. Like two years ago, the Frenchman validated his ticket for the third round of Roland-Garros, which he had also crossed. After his long battle against Alex de Minaur (3h59) in the first round, Gaston easily offered Pedro Cachin on Thursday, in three straight sets (6-4, 6-2, 6-4).
He will find the Norwegian Holger Rune, who still hasn’t dropped a single set and who looks like an outsider. “I know him a little. We already trained here earlier this week. I played doubles with him this year too. So I know he’s a very hard-playing player. It will be a very difficult game“, projected Gaston in a press conference.
The dream continues for Léolia Jeanjean
Three days after her very first Grand Slam victory, Léolia Jeanjean, 227th player in the world, achieved a new feat by eliminating the No. 8 seed, Karolina Pliskova (6-2, 6-2). The Frenchwoman outclassed the Czech by outsmarting her, thanks to various blows, and taking advantage of her 28 unforced errors.
The beautiful story continues for the former great hope of French tennis, who snatched a wild card to play in his very first Roland-Garros. Five years ago, when Pliskova was world No. 1, Jeanjean had abandoned his dream of a professional career and was studying in the United States.
This victory in the second round of Roland-Garros validates the choice of the former young prodigy to try his luck again on the circuit: “I wanted to come back so as not to regret. I think I made the right choice”she said, smiling, after her victory.
The French joins the third round and will face the Romanian Irina Begu (63rd player in the world), lower ranked than her first two opponents.
Caroline Garcia will not go any further
Bis repeated for Garcia. The Frenchwoman’s road ends in the second round, as in 2021. The Lyonnaise failed to get the upper hand over the American Madison Keys, seeded n°22, and lost in two sets ( 6-4, 7-6 [7-3]). Weighed down by her return of service and her errors in key moments, she gave in to the power of her opponent.
“Already, I was able to play at Roland-Garros, which was not certain two months ago. My foot held. Overall it was a positive game for me. This is my second in two months. It’s never easy. I can take positives from this game“, preferred to retain the French.