If Kristina Mladenovic failed to win against the American Jessica Pegula in the third round of the Australian Open (6-2, 6-15), Saturday, the Frenchwoman had not reached this stage of Grand Slam competition for over two years.
Kristina Mladenovic (50th) was stopped dead 6-2, 6-1 by American Jessica Pegula (61st) in the third round of the Australian Open, in just 68 minutes, Saturday in Melbourne.
Mladenovic (27) was the last Frenchwoman in the running, female and male tables combined.
At 26, Pegula climbed for the first time in her career in the round of 16 in a Grand Slam.
She will challenge world No. 5 Elina Svitolina there.
Yet well into his match, "Kiki" was quickly stifled by the irresistible pace of Pegula, both forehand and backhand.
The American signed a first white break in the third game, then pocketed the first round in 35 minutes after a second break.
Pegula never let Mladenovic breathe.
Broken from the start in the second set, the Frenchwoman worked, especially in defense, to pick up a game everywhere.
But the American, not clumsy in touching either, continued to impose her rhythm and distribute her dry strikes without batting an eyelid to win the last five games of the game.
This third round nevertheless remains a breakthrough for Mladenovic.
She had not reached this stage of Grand Slam competition for two and a half years (Wimbledon 2018).
She had also not won two games in a row on the main circuit since October 2019, in Moscow.
Mladenovic has been running after a second week in Grand Slam for almost four years (Roland-Garros 2017).