Rome champion and fifth seed Elina Svitolina came back from a set down to defeat last year’s French Open quarter-finalist, Tsvetana Pironkova, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2, while Charleston winner Daria Kasatkina battled past Czech lefty Marketa Vondrusova 7-6, 6-4 to reach the third round at Roland Garros.
Considered by many to be a favourite and a dark horse for this year’s French Open title, Elina Svitolina and Daria Kasatkina had to fight hard to get past some tough opposition early in their second round encounters.
Svitolina, who currently holds the number one spot in the Porsche Race to Singapore and owns titles this year in Dubai and Rome, got off to a slow start, getting broken in the seventh game of the match to go down 4-3 before some powerful tennis from Pironkova led the Bulgarian to a 5-3 lead. Serving to stay in the opening set, the Ukrainian was once again broken at 30, gifting her unseeded opponent the first set 6-3.
The second set was far different from the first, as the initial five games of the ensuing set were marked by breaks before Svitolina eventually broke the trend to go up 4-2. The four-time WTA tournament champion this year would not relinquish that lead, taking care of her serve before eventually breaking at 5-3 on her second set point to seal the set 6-3 and level the match at a set all.
The third was one-way traffic for the fifth seed as Svitolina broke in the second game of the set for 2-0 before recovering the break lead after a wobbly service game, later on, to go up 4-2 in the deciding set. Just like in the second set, the Ukrainian would not let that lead slip, breaking Pironkova once again at her second time of asking to take her place in the third round 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 and march on in Paris.
“I was just waiting for my chance to get back, because I didn’t play that bad in the first set, but I think she was playing, really amazing from start.” Pliskova said about her opponent.
Kasatkina progresses
As for 26th seed and Charleston champion Daria Kasatkina, the Russian had a popcorn second round match on her hands against Biel-Bienne winner and qualifier Marketa Vondrusova. The big-hitting Czech lefty blasted her way through qualifying and her first round, losing no more than four games in a set in each of her matches on the Terre battue.
Kasatkina began the match under immediate pressure, getting broken in her opening service game of the match to fall down 2-0 before seizing the break back later for 2-all. From there on, the two were dominant on serve, not giving an inch as the set climaxed in a tiebreak. Vondrusova began feeling pain in her upper left arm in the tiebreak. playing a woeful breaker, only holding serve once as she lost it 7-1 to drop the opening set 7-6.
With a set in the bag and Vondrusova clearly struggling with an arm injury, Kasatkina went up a break 4-2 courtesy of three breaks on the Czech’s serve despite dropping two games of her own. The pair split service holds before Vondrusova battled back from deuce to hold for 5-4, forcing her Russian opponent to serve for the match. Kasatkina made no mistake, serving the match out easily on her second time of asking to win a hard-fought match 7-6, 6-4 and move into the third round at Roland Garros.
Svitolina will next play Magda Linette of Poland in the third round after Linette beat 29th seed Ana Konjuh 6-0, 7-5, while Kasatkina will face the winner of German Tatjana Maria or third seed and women’s title favorite Simona Halep on Saturday.
