Williams falls in round of 16, Tsitsipas and Medvedev continue their way into quarters

The round of 16 kicked off on Sunday, June 6 at Roland Garros, with confident successes from Stéfanos Tsitsipas and Daniil Medvedev, who spent just over two hours on the court. On the women’s side, Serena Williams lost to Elena Rybakina and will therefore not see the quarterfinals of the tournament.

  • Serena Williams falls heavily in round of 16
Serena Williams lost to Elena Rybakina in the round of 16 at Roland Garros on June 6, 2021.

Serena Williams’ quest is going to take a little longer than expected. The 39-year-old American looking for a 24e Grand Slam title to equal Margaret Smith Court’s record, lost in the round of 16 at Roland Garros against Elena Rybakina. The Kazakhe won in two sets (6-3, 7-5) having managed to break at the perfect moment in the second set, five games across.

For Serena Williams, this is a big disappointment. The no World 8 has not passed the milestone of eighth at Roland since 2016, when it lost in the final. Visibly marked by the weight of the years, the American suffered throughout the meeting, dragging her feet after each point lost. In search of a Grand Slam victory since 2017, Williams will now look to Wimbledon to achieve his goal.

  • Stefanos Tsitsipas with authority
Stéfanos Tsitsipas during his match against Pablo Carreño Busta at Roland Garros, June 6, 2021.

Stéfanos Tsitsipas passed the second test of his Paris tournament without a hitch. After dropping his first set of the tournament against the American John Isner in the third round, the Greek raised his level of play against the Spaniard Pablo Carreño Busta, twelfth player in the world and clay specialist.

The winner of the Masters 1000 in Monaco and the tournament in Lyon – both on ocher – since the start of the 2021 season has won in three sets, dominating the debates in the first two (6-3, 6-2). The last set was more contested, as Tsitsipas trailed 4-1 before recovering to finally win 7-5.

The semi-finalist of the last edition is only one step away from repeating his performance from last fall. For that, he will have to beat Daniil Medvedev, his great rival among the young shoots of world tennis.

  • Medvedev continues his acclimatization to clay
Daniil Medvedev performs in his round of 16 at Roland Garros against Cristian Garin on June 6, 2021.

A quarter-final in a tournament played on clay is something Daniil Medvedev is not used to. But at the start of summer, the Russian put aside his aversion to ocher to keep his rank of no 2nd in the world at Roland-Garros. He only needed three sets (6-2, 6-1, 7-5) to defeat, in the round of 16, Cristian Garin, yet a specialist in clay. Medvedev went for the break at 5-5 in the third set after intense play. Two exceptional winning moves in a row, practically the same, along the line, allowed the Chilean to be defeated, disappointed by the Russian’s success. “We had to put on some madness and the two forehands, it was really incredible , Medvedev explained after the game.

Acclaimed by the Suzanne-Lenglen audience, Medvedev made a name for himself on the Porte d’Auteuil side. A support on which he wishes to rely for his quarter-final against Tsitsipas on Tuesday. “I hope that the French public will be on my side and that it will help me a lot “, Concluded Medvedev after the match, in a perfect French.

  • Pavlyuchenkova overthrows Azarenka
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova eliminated Victoria Azarenka in the round of 16 at Roland Garros on June 6, 2021.

Ten years that Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova waited to find the quarter-finals at Roland Garros. The last time the Russian reached this stage of the tournament was in 2011 and she was only 19 years old. This Sunday, Pavlyuchenkova, 32e A player in the WTA rankings, put an end to this long wait by beating Victoria Azarenka in three sets (5-7, 6-3, 6-2) in the round of 16.

The 29-year-old Russian had however lost the first round against the old no 1 world but did not give up, to end up reversing a situation very badly started. “Victoria had started very well, but I fought on every ball, every point Pavlyuchenkova explained after the match. Azarenka, semifinalist in 2013, completely sank from the end of the second set. To join for the first time in her career the last four of a Grand Slam, Pavlyuchenkova will still have a lot to do, since she will face the winner of the round of 16 between Serena Williams and Elena Rybakina, scheduled for the evening.

  • Zidansek continues his beautiful epic, Badosa ensures
Tamara Zidansek, serving against Sorana Cirstea, qualified for the quarter-finals at Roland Garros.

Slovenian Tamara Zidansek, 85e world, continues her excellent course on Parisian clay: the player, who had never passed the second round of a Grand Slam tournament, qualified for the quarter-finals by beating the Romanian Sorana Cirstea (54e), 7-6 (7/4), 6-1. The 23-year-old player, Bianca Andreescu (7e) in the first round, was mentally strong in the first set, saving a set point, before unwinding in the second.

For a place in the last four, she will face the Spaniard Paula Badosa. The 35e The world player is in good shape, having won the first tournament of her career on 22 May in Belgrade, already on clay, her favorite surface. She also achieved the best Grand Slam performance of her career after beating Czech Marketa Vondrousova (6-4, 3-6, 6-2).

The world