The first set was full of breaks, and Bacsinszky went into a 4-2 lead after saving 2 break points and stopped the streak of 3 breaks in a row. Bertens broke back to 4-4 with a clean break, but Bacsinszky got the break back after a long game and was serving for the set at 5-4. The Swiss had a lead of 30-15, but lost 3 points in a row and it was 5-5. Bertens held her serve, putting Bacsinszky under pressure, and took the second set point to win the first set 7-5.
Bertens commented on her match: “I think it was really difficult today. The circumstances were really tough. The court is really slow. The balls are heavy. It’s really tough to play aggressive, and especially with Timea. She is like changing a lot, like with some slower balls and some higher ones, so it was pretty tough for me. But I think afterwards I was 4-2 down, and then I was just like, Okay, we are just gonna be calm and try to fight for each point. I did it and I won the first set. Yeah, it was just keep on fighting for every ball.”
During the break, Bertens called for a medical timeout for her left calf. The leg was bandaged and taped, and the Dutch looked as good as new, giving thumbs-up and smiling to the crowd while receiving her treatment.
“Well, I have some problems with my calf, yeah. What I said, I’m just gonna prepare again for tomorrow, do everything what I can with the physios, and we will see how it is tomorrow.” Bertens said.
Bertens ran away with the second set, getting a strong lead of 4-0. The Dutch lost her serve for the first time in the second set after leading 40-30 on serve, but got caught up in a long game, saved 2 break points but eventually lost her serve. After this game, it looked like fatigue was starting to set on Bertens. Since last week, the Dutch has played 19 matches in singles and doubles, so fatigue was only a matter of time. Bacsinszky held her serve and had chances to equal the second set, but Bertens fought back. She saved 3 break points and won the game for 5-2. Bacsinszky was serving to stay in the match and leading 40-30, but Bertens gave her all, and after 1 hour and 53 minutes she fell down on the clay, victorious.
The conditions in Paris were quite tough. In only 13 degrees Celsius weather, Bertens had to wear a long sleeved shirt and leggings throughout the match to keep herself warm, which seemed to work. In the live rankings, Bertens is currently at No. 27, which will mean that she will reach her new career high ranking and might be seeded at Wimbledon.
This is what Bertens had to say about the causes of her recent form: “Well, I remember like one thing I remember is like my semifinal in Rabat. I had match point there I was losing the match and I wasn’t just — in my head I was so stressed and all the time and we were like talking with my coach after that match for so long. I think after that match I just was so calm in my head and just trying to go out there every day and just give everything and then, yeah, just do my own thing. I think that’s the most important thing.”
