American advances with heavy heart.
American’s dad died recently
PARIS - Steve Johnson held everything in, all of it, until he simply could not any longer.
Still mourning the recent death of his father, a tennis coach who helped Johnson learn the game back home in California, the 25th-seeded American didn’t allow the jumble of feelings show outwardly. He didn’t permit them to affect his ability to smack a tennis ball, either, and managed to edge Borna Coric, 6-2, 7-6 (8), 3-6, 7-6 (6), and reach the French Open’s third round.
For nearly 4 full hours Wednesday, Johnson stayed the course, over and over, even as the oncourt particulars grew complicated. He managed to be OK even after his initial four match points slipped away. And even when he was docked a point by the chair umpire for what an incredulous Johnson considered an innocuous extra hit of the ball deep in the fourth set. And yet again when Coric twice was a single point from forcing a fifth set.
Only when, on his fifth chance to end things, Johnson delivered a clean forehand winner to seal the victory, did he let go, dropping onto to his knees near the baseline, his chest heaving, his eyes filling with tears.
“I have no idea what happened after I hit the forehand. I just kind of collapsed and, emotionally, it got the best of me,” said Johnson, who faces No. 6 Dominic Thiem next. “...Today was just such an emotional match.”
There were other winners and losers, of course, on Day 4 of the French Open, but nothing quite so poignant.
No. 12 seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France was eliminated, 7-5, 6-4, 6-7 (6), 6-4, by 91st-ranked Renzo Olivo of Argentina after only one game Wednesday in a match suspended a night earlier because of darkness.
“Last week, I won my first-ever clay tournament,” Tsonga said, referring to an event in Lyon. “And today, I lost at the French Open. It’s the paradox of tennis.” Ah, so philosophical. No call for such reflection from those who advanced, including defending champion Novak Djokovic and nine-time champion Rafael Nadal among the men, and defending champion Garbine Muguruza, former No. 1s Venus Williams (whose pregnant sister Serena was in the stands) and Caroline Wozniacki among the women. There were a couple of surprises: No. 6 Dominika Cibulkova was beaten, 6-4, 6-3, by 114th-ranked Ons Jabeur of Tunisia, while 18-year-old Californian CiCi Bellis defeated No. 18 Kiki Bertens of the Netherlands, 6-3, 7-6 (5).