Paris (AFP)
The French Fiona Ferro, 49th player in the world, qualified for her very first round of 16 in a Grand Slam by defeating the Romanian Patricia Maria Tig (59th) 7-6 (9/7), 4-6, 6 -0 in the third round of Roland-Garros on Saturday.
Ferro (23) will face American Sofia Kenin, world No. 6 and winner of the Australian Open in early February, for a place in the quarterfinals.
She thus joined in the second week Caroline Garcia (45th).
"Making my first round of 16 in a Grand Slam here is really the best thing that could have happened to me, but it is only one step," said Ferro.
"I have a game in two days, I will try to prepare myself and do my best."
The French player has not known defeat since the post-Covid-19 recovery and thus records her 18th consecutive victory, after her success in two preparation tournaments organized by the French Tennis Federation in July, in Nice and Cannes, and his title in Palermo in early August, the second of his career.
But, before Roland Garros, she had been forced to give up the American Cincinnati-US Open mini-tour concentrated in New York and had therefore not played since her Sicilian coronation, the fault of edema in the ribs.
Saturday afternoon on Central Court, lit from 4:00 p.m., Ferro had to scrap for nearly three hours (2:48 to be precise) to get rid of Tig.
The first set alone, which gave rise to a fierce battle between the two players, stretched for 1h23.
Losing it didn't deter the Romanian, who even surprised Ferro at the end of the second set to equalize.
But Ferro held on and did not give him the slightest play afterwards, in particular by resorting to a few well-hit cushionings.
"It was really a very difficult game physically and mentally, my opponent didn't have the same style of play as in the previous round, I really had to work on every point, she didn't. gave a lot, I am very happy to have done so, ”she commented.
By rallying the third round on Thursday, Ferro had equaled his best Grand Slam result so far.
© 2020 AFP