French fade
Venus Williams falls in French Open, leaving no Americans in singles draws,
It turned out to be an unsatisfying day for American players and former women’s Grand Slam tournament champions Sunday in the French Open.
No. 10 seed Venus Williams, competing in an Open era-record 20th French Open, met the criteria in both categories as she will depart Paris with a fourth-round loss.
Williams was the last American standing when she suffered a 5-7, 6-2, 6-1 loss to 30th seed Timea Bacsinszky of Switzerland. It marked the second consecutive year in which Williams fell to Bacsinszky in the fourth round here. Bacsinszky turned her back in straight sets last year.
“Probably she wanted the revenge of last year,” Bacsinszky said. “All the time when I step on these courts here, there’s something special happening. I feel really privileged to be able to play on these courts.”
It looked as if Williams might battle it out against the Swiss player when she rebounded from a 5-1 deficit to win the first set, but she ran out of energy to fight Bacsinsky in the final two sets.
“She had so many answers today,” Williams said. “I just give her credit for playing well every point, even in the first set. Sometimes it’s just bad luck.”
Before Williams took the court, 21st seed John Isner, the last American man in singles, lost to unseeded Russian Karen Khachanov 7-6 (7-1), 6-3, 6-7 (5-7), 7-6 (7-3).
Williams, 36, also was the final former Grand Slam champion remaining in the women’s draw. At the start of Sunday, there were four former major champions in the mix: defending champion Garbine Muguruza of Spain, Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia, Samantha Stosur of Australia and Williams.
Asked to weigh in on the lack of former Grand Slam champions in the draw moving forward, Williams lacked interest in the situation.
“It’s all behind me now, so whatever happens in this tournament is not necessarily my concern anymore,” said Williams, who will be 37 when she steps on the court at Wimbledon. “I’m looking forward to my own next tournament. It’s all I can focus on right now.”
The fourth seed, Muguruza was attempting to successfully defend a Grand Slam title for the first time in her career. That opportunity came to a crushing halt against 13th seed Kristina Mladenovic, a Frenchwoman who posted a 6-1, 3-6, 6-3 upset cheered by the home crowd.
Defending her title was an emotional and intimidating situation for the Spaniard.
She was still struggling to calm down by the time she arrived at her news conference, where early into the proceedings she dissolved into tears and had to briefly step away to compose herself before returning.
Everything played out against Muguruza on Sunday, especially that the crowd was supporting one of its own.
“I think the crowd today was a little bit obviously tough for me,” Muguruza said. “I understand. I just think that they were a little bit, sometimes should be a little bit more respectful. The chair umpire has to always calm the crowd down.
“I’m not here to create enemies,” she added. “I mean, I love playing here.”
Mladenovic’s win puts her into her second career Grand Slam quarterfinal, where she will battle Bacsinszky. Mladenovic also reached the quarterfinals of the 2015 U.S. Open, while Bacsinszky has played in three other quarterfinals, with her best Grand Slam showing a 2015 French semifinal berth.
The other quarterfinal pairing determined Sunday will match 11th seed Caroline Wozniacki, a former world No. 1, against 47thranked Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia.
Wozniacki, from Denmark, outlasted 2009 French Open champion Kuznetsova 6-1, 4-6, 6-2, while Ostapenko upset 23rd seed Stosur 2-6, 6-2, 6-4.