Dabrowski’s win at French Open is a first for Canada
Mixed doubles title makes 25-year-old country’s first female Grand Slam champ
It was a moment Gabriela Dabrowski had dreamed about, and a moment she encouraged other young tennis players to pursue, to fight for.
All the sacrifices she’d made along the way, the hard work, the support from friends and family — in some sense it was further validated as she stood clutching the trophy with mixed doubles partner Rohan Bopanna of India.
The dynamic duo defeated Germany’s Anna-Lena Gronefeld and Robert Farah of Colombia 2-6, 6-2, 12-10 in Thursday’s French Open final on the clay courts at Roland Garros in Paris.
In triumph, she made history. The 25-year-old from Ottawa became the first Canadian woman to win a Grand Slam title.
“It hasn’t sunk in yet,” Dabrowski said. “Could I imagine this? Yes, as a kid it’s something you start out dreaming about. Usually in the beginning, your goal is to win a singles Grand Slam. We all start out as singles players. Some of us transition, some of us don’t. Within the past few years, my focus has shifted toward doubles and mixed doubles. It’s definitely a very exciting time. To say I wouldn’t have imagined this would not be the case. I definitely have.”
Seeded seventh in the tournament, Dabrowski and the 37-year-old Bopanna advanced to the championship match without dropping a set. In the final, they saved two match points in a match tiebreak before claiming victory following a Gronefeld double fault after one hour 26 minutes of play.
“We both breathed a big sigh of relief, but at the same time it was pure happiness,” Dabrowski told TSN in the aftermath. “I hope I can win more down the road. Hopefully, I can inspire somebody to start playing or continue playing tennis. You never know what can happen. If I can do it, you can do it, I promise.”
As a 13-year-old, Dabrowski took part in an exhibition event in Ottawa alongside legends John McEnroe, Jim Courier and Anna Kournikova, all competitors who carved out their own piece of history. Now Dabrowski has her own little chunk.
Bopanna said of Dabrowski: “I’m really happy for Gaby. It’s nice to hear she’s the first woman in Canada to win (a Grand Slam).
“This is a big, big moment. Surely it’s going to inspire plenty of kids to take up tennis.”
Dabrowski joins Daniel Nestor, Sebastien Lareau and Vasek Pospisil as the Canadians to win a major doubles title.
Meanwhile, Jelena Ostapenko became the first unseeded women’s finalist at the French Open in more than 30 years by beating Timea Bacsinszky on Thursday.
The 47th-ranked Ostapenko, the first Latvian player to reach a Grand Slam final, will play No. 3 Simona Halep, who beat secondseeded Karolina Pliskova.
The last unseeded player to reach the final at Roland Garros was Mima Jausovec, who lost to seven-time French Open champion Chris Evert in 1983.
Ostapenko won 7-6 (4), 3-6, 6-3, sealing the win on her second match point with a forehand winner to break Bacsinszky’s serve for the fourth time in the set. It was her 50th winner of the match, which also saw her make 45 errors.
Ostapenko, 20, is yet to win a WTA title. The last player to win their debut title at Roland Garros was Brazil’s Gustavo Kuerten, who lifted the title the day the Latvian was born.
Ostapenko’s strong forehand made the difference. It was measured at 122 kilometres an hour, faster than the average of topranked men’s player Andy Murray.
“I was always playing aggressive and trying to hit the ball when I have the chance,” Ostapenko said.
It is the second time in three years Bacsinszky has lost in the French Open semifinals.
Ostapenko had never been past the third round at a major until this week, but she didn’t let the occasion faze her as she took the first set on a tiebreaker.
Ostapenko then broke early in the second set, but Bacsinszky won the last four games and levelled the match when her opponent doublefaulted.
Both players struggled on their serve in the final set, which had six of the 16 breaks in the match.
Halep won 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 to reach her second Grand Slam final, having finished runner-up to Maria Sharapova at the 2014 French Open.
The 25-year-old Halep clinched victory on the first of her two match points when Pliskova, who made 55 unforced errors during the semifinal, sent a return long.
Halep had broken early in the third set and threatened to break again in the fourth game, but Pliskova saved with an ace and went on to hold.
Pliskova then broke to level the set, but Halep broke straight back to leave the Romanian serving for the match.
The men’s semifinal matches highlight Friday’s play, with No. 1-ranked Andy Murray facing No. 3 Stan Wawrinka, while No. 4 Rafael Nadal battles No. 6 Dominic Thiem.
Hopefully,
I can inspire somebody to start playing or continue playing tennis. You never know what can happen. If I can do it, you can do it, I promise.