The first eight women’s Round of 32 matches were completed on Day 6 of the French Open. Three-time champion Iga Swiatek and US Open winner Coco Gauff were among the players who featured in Paris. There was more drama on Day 6, including a former finalist at Roland Garros exiting the tournament. This articles summarizes who looked good, which players were less impressive and then names the best match of the day.
French Open Day 6 Women’s Recap
Who Looked Good
Iga Swiatek won far more comfortably than her previous round against Naomi Osaka. The world No. 1 defeated Marie Bouzkova 6-4 6-2. It was a high-quality affair, with Swiatek striking 34 winners in just two sets. Bouzkova also played very well throughout the contest. She was just unlucky to play someone of Swiatek’s quality.
Coco Gauff is still yet to drop a set at the French Open after triumphing 6-2 6-4 against Dayana Yastremska on Day 6. The match was not as one-sided as the score looks, but the American was very strong on the big points. For instance, Gauff saved nine out of the 11 break points that she faced over the course of the two sets.
Two-time Wimbledon runner-up Ons Jabeur also claimed a straight sets victory in Paris. The contest was competitive against Leylah Fernandez, but the Tunisian prevailed 6-4 7-6. There was a lot of variety on show from both players, making it a very fun match to watch. Fernandez will rue two consecutive routine returns she missed when 5-4 up in the tiebreak, which cost her dearly.
Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova was another player to triumph in two sets at the French Open. She eased Past Chloe Paquet 6-1 6-3. The Czech dominated from start to finish, breaking her opponent’s serve six times overall and never looking in any danger.
Who Looked Bad
2020 French Open runner-up Sofia Kenin was knocked out in straight sets on Day 6. Clara Tauson, who also defeated 2017 champion Jelena Ostapenko in the last round, beat her 6-2 7-5. Kenin leaked 40 unforced errors, which was surprisingly high for someone whose game is based around consistency. Her level also came as a shock after she played superbly against Caroline Garcia in the previous round.
Liudmila Samsonova also had a disappointing day at Roland-Garros. Like Kenin, she gave away 40 unforced errors in her 7-6 6-2 loss to Elisabetta Cocciaretto. Although Cocciaretto has been in very good form at the tournament so far, Samsonova’s untidy performance meant the Italian did not need to play her best tennis to progress.
Chloe Paquet may also be frustrated with her level on Day 6 of the French Open. After memorable victories against Diana Shnaider and Katerina Siniakova in the previous rounds, she never came close to reaching those heights again against Vondrousova. It may just have been one match too far for the local wild card.
Match Of The Day
Anastasia Potapova’s 7-5 6-7 6-4 win against Wang Xinyu on Court 14 was a very entertaining battle that would have been a strong contender for the best match on many days. However, Olga Danilovic’s epic tussle against Donna Vekic was undoubtedly the French Open women’s match of the day. It did not seem like that would be the case after the first set. Vekic utterly dominated to take the opening set without losing a game. At that point, it looked like Danilovic had run out of steam after her dramatic triumph against Danielle Collins in the previous round.
The drama began in the second set. Danilovic held two set points at 5-4 up but could not take advantage of those opportunities. The Serbian managed to keep her composure excellently after that in the following two games. After holding in a long service game, she forced a decider by breaking in the next game to claim the second set 7-5. Vekic then broke in the opening game of the deciding set to take an early advantage. But that was followed by missing a series of chances to go up a double-break in her next two return games.
Those missed opportunities proved to be crucial. Despite serving for the match twice, Vekic could not get over the line, meaning a deciding set tiebreak was required to decide this absorbing contest. The Croat was in the ascendancy once again at 6-2 up. Yet, Danilovic somehow fought her way back and won the tiebreak 10-8 to seal a memorable 0-6 7-5 7-6 triumph at the French Open.
Main Photo Credit: Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports
