Spanish tennis players Paula Badosa and Jessica Bouzas advanced to the third round of Roland Garros on Thursday, the second ‘Grand Slam’ of the season played on clay courts, after two hard-fought victories against Romanian Elena-Gabriela Ruse (3-6, 6-4, 6-4) and American Robin Montgomery (6-4, 4-6, 7-5).
Paula Badosa, the tenth seed, continues her journey at the Parisian ‘Grand Slam’ after a tough match where she managed to overcome physical problems that mainly affected her in the first set, although they did not seem to be related to her back but rather to some discomfort.
The Catalan player fought hard on the court and was able to come back to secure her 40th victory in a ‘Grand Slam’ and reach the third round for the second time in her last two participations. To reach the fourth round, which she hasn’t reached since the quarterfinals in 2021, and aim for the second week, she now awaits the winner of the match between Australian Dariya Kasatkina and Frenchwoman Léolia Jeanjean.
Badosa did not have an easy time in her second match against Ruse, with whom she had a 1-1 record in their other two matches on hard courts, the last one at the US Open where she won in three sets and a ‘supertie-break’. On this occasion, she had to come from behind, just like on the Simonne-Mathieu court where her body language at the start was concerning despite her good start.
Despite her good start, with a break and a 2-0 lead, the Catalan player did not show good signs, with little joy on her face and a certain slowness on the court, which foreshadowed bad omens given her previous bad experiences. The Romanian player remained firm and won five games in a row to take the first set after breaking her opponent’s serve four times.
Badosa requested a medical timeout to try to find a solution, and the TV images showed her having her blood pressure taken, dispelling fears of any back issues. She herself acknowledged that it was due to a fever and that it subsided as she returned to a more solid tennis game.
Thus, Paula Badosa improved in all aspects, both in terms of tennis and morale, to defeat Ruse, who found herself trailing 5-2 in the second set, which ultimately went to the Catalan player despite a late surge from the Romanian.
The third and final set followed the same pattern, with the tenth seed breaking early to take a sufficient lead to secure her ticket to the third round. Ruse, who also called for a medical timeout when trailing 3-2, pushed until the end and had a 0-30 lead at 5-4 for the Spanish player, who found her serve to avoid further scares after more than two hours and 20 minutes of play, ending with a couple of shouts of relief.
BOUZAS MATCHES THIRD ROUNDS OF WIMBLEDON AND US OPEN
Badosa’s qualification was followed by Galician player Jessica Bouzas, who matched her best result in a ‘Grand Slam’ after defeating American Robin Montgomery in three sets (6-4, 4-6, 7-5) in a two-hour and 11-minute match.
Bouzas will compete in the third round of the French ‘Grand Slam’ for the first time in her career after having done so last year at Wimbledon on grass and at the US Open on hard courts. The young Spanish tennis player showed more determination than her opponent in the third and final set, which she won in the twelfth game (7-5), saving a break point against her.
Earlier, Bouzas had taken the lead after a first set where she was very aggressive on her return and barely gave her opponent any chances on her serve. This solidity was not maintained in the second set, which was won by Montgomery. Now, in the third round, the Spanish player will face American Hailey Baptiste, ranked 70th in the world, whom she defeated last year in the final of the ITF Morelia, their only meeting so far.