Elina Avanesyan, the World #134, had to qualify for the French Open and lost in the final qualifying round. However, the Russian landed a spot as a Lucky Loser.
Elina Avanesyan Makes Last 16
20-year-old Elina Avanesyan only made the main draw as a Lucky Loser, but the Russian has so far capitalized on the opportunity.
Avanesyan is the first lucky loser to reach this stage at Roland Garros in over 35 years. The last lucky loser to get to the fourth round in Paris was Nicole Muns-Jagerman. Hana Strachonova and Dana Gilbert also made the same stage as lucky losers also in the 1980s.
The last lucky loser to make the last 16 at any Grand Slam was María José Gaidano who managed it in 1993, which was the furthest the Argentine ever got in a Grand Slam event.
Route to the fourth round
Avanesyan ended up against Belinda Bencic, the 12th seed, in the first round. The 20-year-old fought off the Swiss in a three-set battle, scoring her first ever win over a Top 20 player. The second round saw the Russian against home favorite Leolia Jeanjean. Avanesyan started perfectly, taking the set without dropping a game. The crowd tried to inspire Jeanjean, who did mount a late surge, but the Lucky Loser went through in straight sets.
Then she faced Clara Tauson, with the victor advancing to the last 16. Tauson got the first set, but then Avanesyan pulled things round and took the next two sets to make history as the first lucky loser of the 2000s to reach this stage.
A month ago, the 20-year-old took the biggest title of her career so far, winning the ITF event in Wiesbaden (a WTA 100 event). In March Avanesyan got to the semifinal of the ITF San Luis Potosi (a WTA 125 event). So it shouldn’t be that surprising to see the Russian at this stage of events.
However, a Grand Slam is a whole different ballgame. The arena is different, the atmosphere and crowds are all completely different to that of an ITF event. Can the 20-year-old go even further? The question will be answered soon enough.
Avanesyan will try to become the first ever lucky loser to make the quarterfinal of a Grand Slam. Standing in her way will be Karolina Muchova. The match will be a cracker and will be interesting to see if the Russian can progress.
Main Photo from Twitter
