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Dialuna 7 Juni 2021

Serena Williams loses at French Open; Federer withdraws

get broken.
In the next game, Williams Rybakina next will meet An-
gave away the opening point astasia Pavlyuchenkova with
when, near the baseline, she a semifinal berth on the line;
failed to get out of the way they're playing doubles to-
of a shot from Rybakina that gether and are scheduled to
was flying long. Williams play a third-round match in
smiled ruefully and leaned that event Monday. Pavly-
over, resting and propping uchenkova advanced with
herself up with her racket. a 5-7, 6-3, 6-2 victory over
Repeatedly one sort of mis- two-time Australian Open
take or another undid Wil- champion Victoria Azarenka.
liams. She ended up with 19
unforced errors and only 15 The other quarterfinal on
winners. that side of the women's draw
is going to be Paula Badosa
"I'm so close. There is lit- against Tamara Zidansek.
erally a point here, a point Neither has been this far at a
there, that could change the major tournament, either.
whole course of the match," One of those four players will
Williams said. "I'm not win- become a first-time Grand
ning those points. That, like, Slam finalist next weekend.
literally could just change ev- Stefanos Tsitsipas is still look-
erything." ing for his first major final,
too, and he reached the quar-
Since winning the 2017 Aus- terfinals at Roland Garros for
tralian Open while pregnant the second year in a row by
for her most recent ma- eliminating 12th-seeded Pab-
jor singles title — No. 23 lo Carreno Busta 6-3, 6-2,
set a record for the profes- 7-5.
sional era — Williams has
(AP) — Serena Williams singles titles; Federer has I was ready," Rybakina said. come close to tying Margaret Tsitsipas next faces No. 2
turns 40 in September. won 20. They are two of the "Then, after few points, I felt Court's all-time mark of 24. Daniil Medvedev, who has
Roger Federer hits that sport's greatest and most pop- ... comfortable." That includes four runner- won six of their previous sev-
milestone the month be- ular players, so it was quite a Rybakina said she followed up finishes at Grand Slam en meetings.
fore. No one knows how blow to the tournament, its her coach's strategy of send- tournaments, most recently
many more French Open TV partners and tennis fans ing shots to Williams' back- against Bianca Andreescu at Medvedev is a two-time
appearances each will to see both gone from the hand side and trying to stay the 2019 U.S. Open. Grand Slam finalist — at
make, and this year's tour- French Open field one after away from her forehand. But since then, Williams has the 2019 U.S. Open and this
nament ended for both on the other — and a week after been beaten twice in semi- year's Australian Open — but
Sunday. Naomi Osaka pulled out, cit- Every time Williams ap- finals, and once each in the was 0-4 for his career in Paris
ing a need for a mental health peared as if she might turn third and fourth rounds. Last until now. He advanced Sun-
Williams fell way behind break. things around, she could not year at the French Open, she day by eliminating No. 22
and could not put together Williams has won the French quite get the momentum ful- withdrew before the second Cristian Garin 6-2, 6-1, 7-5.
a comeback against a much Open three times. But the ly in her favor. round, citing an injured left The other quarterfinal on that
younger and less-experi- American hasn't been past Achilles. side of the field will be un-
enced opponent in the fourth the fourth round in Paris Down a quick break in the seeded 22-year-old Alejandro
round at Roland Garros, los- since she was the runner-up second set, she got to 2-all. Federer, meanwhile, never Davidovich Fokina against
ing 6-3, 7-5 to Elena Rybaki- in 2016. Williams then was down 4-3 had pulled out of a Grand No. 6 Alexander Zverev or
na — who wasn't even born in the second set but pulled Slam tournament once he Kei Nishikori. Davidovich
when the American made her Rybakina is a 21-year-old even again when Rybakina had started competing in it Fokina beat Federico Delbo-
tournament debut in 1998. from Kazakhstan who is sailed a forehand well wide to until now. nis 6-4, 6-4, 4-6, 6-4.
Asked whether that might ranked 22nd. This was just
have been her last match at the seventh Grand Slam ap-
the clay-court major, Wil- pearance for Rybakina — and
liams responded: "Yeah, I'm the first time she ever made
definitely not thinking about it so much as past the second
it at all. I'm definitely think- round.
ing just about other things, "When I was small, of course,
but not about that." I was watching her match-
es on TV. So many Grand
Her defeat came hours after Slams," Rybakina said.
Federer withdrew, saying he
needed to let his body recov- Against Williams, whose right
er ahead of Wimbledon after thigh carried a heavy tape job,
a long third-round victory Rybakina hit big, flat serves.
that ended at nearly 1 a.m. on She dealt with, but managed
Sunday. to steady, her nerves. She
Wimbledon — which Fe- even produced the occasional
derer has won eight times return winner off Williams'
and Williams seven — begins speedy and spectacularly
June 28. gifted serve, breaking her five
"I'm kind of excited to switch times, including in the next-
surfaces," Williams said. to-last game.
"Historically I have done
pretty well on grass." "I knew that the serve was go-
ing to be difficult for me to
She has won 23 Grand Slam return. She's powerful, but