Worthy resistance: Khachanov fought on equal terms with Djokovic, but still lost to him in the 1/4 finals of Roland Garros

Pavlyuchenkova's unforced errors

Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova at Roland Garros, of course, pleased the fans with her game. After a severe leg injury, she got to one of her favorite tournaments - the French Open - thanks to a protected rating, and immediately showed that she plans to catch up in the near future and return to her previous positions (in 2021 she was the 11th racket of the world), and possibly rise even higher.

On the way to the quarterfinals, the athlete knocked out three tennis players in the top 30 at once: Lyudmila Samsonova, Anastasia Potapova and Elise Mertens. Moreover, in the last match, Pavlyuchenkova made an incredible return, losing the second set with a score of 1:3 and 0:40 in the fifth game.

On Tuesday, she had to fight with the 43rd number of the WTA ranking, Czech Karolina Muchova. The opponent did not seem to be an impassable barrier for the Russian. In the last round, it was not without difficulty that she coped with the lucky loser Elina Avanesyan. In addition, Anastasia led in personal meetings (2:1), although all three confrontations turned out to be very stubborn for the girls.

Unfortunately, this time the fight unfolded only at the end of the first set. Pavlyuchenkova did not start the game in the best way, immediately giving the Czech serve. It seemed as if she had warmed up badly before the match and it took time for the tennis player to run up and start hitting the court accurately.

Mukhova, on the other hand, immediately joined the game and demonstrated how great she can go to the net, get shortened ones, and also take someone else's serve. Both girls showed approximately the same tennis, but Carolina in all components, and first of all, in speed slightly exceeded Pavlyuchenkova, who "woke up" when her opponent was already leading 3:1.

In the fifth game, it took more than 11 minutes for the tennis players to determine the strongest. They held 20 draws, Anastasia escaped from four break points and still took her serve. And she immediately equalized, showing herself perfectly at the reception.

It seemed that the crisis was over, and the Russian woman would slowly begin to gain momentum. But the mistakes that haunted the athlete at the beginning of the meeting did not go anywhere (29 unforced per match against 15 for Mukhova). Pavlyuchenkova made double and could not serve the first ball, which the Czech used, taking right through. The Russian did not always have time to shorten, and often, compared to Carolina, she unsuccessfully went to the net.

As a result, the Czech managed to make another break and went to serve for the set with a score of 5:4. However, the excitement affected her: the tennis player gave up the game quite easily, making two inaccurate shots in winning situations. Although before that she acted very confidently. However, the Russian woman did not take advantage of the gift. Leading 15-0, she made three mistakes in a row, and put an end to the game with her own double. Mukhova had another attempt to take the game, and this time she took advantage of it - 7:5.

Anastasia was not going to give up. But still, psychologically, the failure affected her. At the beginning of the second set, she no longer fought with her opponent, but with the net and cable, through which the ball stubbornly did not want to fly after her blows.

As a result, there was a situation on the court that completely repeated the meeting with Mertens two days earlier: a lost game, again 1:3 and another 0:40 in the fifth game on Pavlyuchenkova's serve. However, it would already look like a Hollywood film if the Russian woman managed to escape for the second time in a row. Muchova did not even give her opponent hope, realizing a break point on the first attempt, and then taking her serve to zero.

Nastya resisted and with a score of 2:5, she staged a real battle at the reception, having played one matchball. But she lacked accuracy that day: at the decisive moment, the athlete sent the ball into the corridor, trying to attack sharply along the line.

Muchova deservedly won and now in the semifinals will meet with Aryna Sabalenka, who also coped with Elina Svitolina in two sets, allowing her opponent to earn and realize only one break point for the entire match. The match ended with a score of 6:4, 6:4. The Belarusian acted superbly on her serve, was much more active (30 winners against seven for the Ukrainian), and also went to the net more often and more successfully.

As for Pavlyuchenkova, thanks to a good result at Roland Garros next week, she will become the 112th racket of the world, rising from the 333rd line. Unfortunately, Anastasia is likely to miss the next Grand Slam tournament, and with it the grass season. At the time of applying for the Major, she was too low in the WTA rankings, and she had already spent her protected points on competing in Paris and Melbourne. The tennis player promised to ask the organizers of Wimbledon for a wild card after the French Open. However, the Russian woman herself does not believe that they will meet her halfway.

Two great sets by Khachanov

Karen Khachanov got a much more formidable opponent in the quarterfinals - Novak Djokovic. And it's not even about how many Grand Slam tournaments the Serb has won. For the Russian, this is an extremely uncomfortable opponent.

Tennis players have previously met nine times, and only once in 2018 in the final of the "Masters" in France managed to win the domestic athlete. In the rest of the confrontations, Djokovic turned out to be stronger. Moreover, in the last two, a special struggle did not work. The third racket of the world easily prevailed in two games.

Therefore, before the match at Roland Garros, it was anxious for Khachanov. Moreover, it was difficult for him to go through the tournament bracket: only one meeting ended in three sets, in the rest Karen had to fight and show his best tennis.

Nevertheless, the meeting started very well for the Russian. He acted confidently on his serve, and in the fifth game he managed to impose a fight on the reception. The Russian earned four break points and still managed to convert the last one, performing a reverse drive-volley right through. At the same time, Djokovic himself helped the opponent in many ways. He made a lot of mistakes: first he made a double, then sent the ball into the net in an attempt to execute a shortened one. At the same time, Karen could have decided everything earlier, but he was clearly nervous, and in one of the episodes Smasham did not hit an empty court.

This break was key in the game, which the Russian won with a score of 6:4. At the same time, it should be noted that at the beginning of the match it was Karen who looked more interesting. He got seemingly hopeless balls. As a result, even with the first serve, Djokovic won only 69% of the points. However, the main reason for the advantage was Novak's unforced errors: he had 17 of them against 8 for the Russian. So the Serb's games turned out to be more protracted. Khachanov even had two setballs on the reception, but the opponent managed to escape. At the same time, the 22-time Grand Slam winner did not earn a single break point.

The second game turned out to be much more stubborn. However, the third racket of the world could not get rid of unforced errors, and this frankly annoyed him. During one of the breaks, he said something indignantly to his coach, and put on a cap for luck. And before the seventh game, I decided to change my racket, but after the first draw I took the old one again.

Karen, on the other hand, remained calm. A certain nervousness in his actions began in the end. In the fifth game, with the score 5:4, the Russian decided to play it safe a couple of times and played less sharply and deeply, which the opponent immediately took advantage of, almost bringing the matter to a break.

The 12th game turned out to be the most intense. The tennis players played 10 draws, and Djokovic was close to taking the game. But Khachanov survived on his serve, although he could not send the ball into the square on the first attempt (the percentage of hits fell from 62 to 54%).

For the entire second set, not a single tennis player was able to earn at least one break point. At the same time, the Serb found a way to deal with his opponent, he began to throw high balls to the Russian under the back line, and Karen began to have problems with them. In addition, it was felt: Novak finally entered the game. He didn't make so many unforced errors. And in the tie-break, he simply defeated his opponent, taking him "to zero".

The third set began now under the dictation of Djokovic. In the first game, the athletes made 16 draws, but this time the Serb had three break points, and he converted the last one. True, it was not without luck: after a shortened ball, it hit the cable, but still rolled over to the other half of the court.

Feeling confident, the third racket of the world completely eliminated unforced errors, and on the serve for the game allowed the opponent to take only one point, very well aggravating the game. Karen was nervous because of this and eventually gave up another of his games - 2:6.

In the fourth set, Khachanov looked completely drooping. So, he constantly managed to shorten the opponent, but each time he sent the ball into the net. And what is the first serve, he completely forgot. In such an emotional state, it was difficult to fight Djokovic, who, in the meantime, began to start the stands, demanding more and more support and applause between rallies.

Karen had bursts in the game: for example, in the fifth game, a twinner passed between his legs, like Daria Kasatkina a few days earlier. But to win, you needed concentration, as at the beginning of the meeting, and she did not return. Therefore, Novak still put pressure on his opponent. He finished the meeting on his serve, taking it "to zero" - 6:4.

Khachanov is the last Russian to leave Roland Garros. At the beginning of the week, he will join Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev in the top 10 of the world ranking. For the first time in history, it will include three domestic tennis players at once