This year’s French Open has been full of underdog stories but perhaps the most significant of them all concerns world No.159 Martina Trevisan.
The 26-year-old qualifier has made headlines at the tournament with her unexpected dream run. Prior to Roland Garros, she had only ever played in a Grand Slam main draw once and was yet to win a single match. On top of that she was 1-16 when playing players ranked in the top 100 on the WTA Tour.
Despite having the odds stacked against her, Trevisan continues to stun the tournament. Her latest triumph was a shock 6-4, 6-4, win over fifth seed Kiki Bertens on Sunday. Who was one of only six seeds to have reached the fourth round of this year’s draw.
“The key to the match is to come to court and be aggressive. I think the important thing is always my mentality because match after match I got more confident,” she said after her latest win.
“So when I enter the court, I enter to win the match without fail.”
After a successful junior career that saw her win two Grand Slam titles in the doubles, Trevisan experienced a roller-coaster journey both on and off the court. At one stage she didn’t play a match for over four years (2010-2014) after suffering from anorexia. An illness she opened up about in a blog post earlier this year when she remembers having to be ‘re-educated to eat.’
“I know that I have done a great job right now until today,” Trevisan commented about her recovery. “The message is to focus on your dream and never give up on your life, the one very thing you want to do and you want to reach.”
The latest triumph makes Trtevisan only the ninth qualifier in history to have reached the quarter-final stage of the women’s tournament at Roland Garros. Within the past 15 years only Carla Suarez Navarro in 2008 and Yaroslava Shvedova in 2012 have done the same. The run comes as a surprise for many, except for Bertens.
“I played her once before and I know how she was playing, so it’s not a real surprise to me,” she said during her press conference.
“I think she was really solid. I wasn’t, so yeah she was just a better player.”
Next up will be a clash with another underdog in the shape of Iga Swiatek who thrashed Simona Halep 6-1, 6-2, in her fourth round match. The last time they played each other was in the first round of qualifying at the Birmingham International last year which Swiatek won in straight sets.
“For the moment I will enjoy this win and from tomorrow I will think about my quarter-final.” Trevisan concluded.
