Big disappointment for Caroline Garcia: the Frenchwoman will not go further than the third round in Madrid. The fifth player in the world lost Saturday at this WTA 1000 tournament against the Egyptian Mayar Sherif (59th) 7-6 (7/2), 6-3.
Showing a lot of nervousness, Garcia cracked on serve in the tie-break of the first set, and failed to turn the match around. Exempted from the first round, she had already appeared feverish in the previous round. While leading 6-3, 4-0, she almost saw Kazakhstan's Yulia Putintseva (52nd) come back to 4 everywhere but ended up winning.
It passes for Sabalenka
Irregular since the beginning of the year, Caroline Garcia has not managed to string together three victories in a row since the Monterrey tournament in early March, where she lost in the final against Croatian Donna Vekic.
In the rest of the women's draw, Belarus' Aryna Sabalenka edged out 21-year-old Colombian Camila Osorio 6-4, 7-5 to reach the knockout stages. The world N.2 signed a perfect start to the match, leading 2-0 and then 3-1 quite easily... But then got into trouble, and won the first set in the snatch.
In the second act, Osorio, ranked 115th in the world, sought medical assistance, and continued the match with a bandage on his left thigh. She managed to score a spectacular point at the net and a perfectly licked cushioning that triggered the applause of the audience... but not enough to stop Sabalenka from racing to victory. In the next round, the winner of the last Australian Open will face the surprise of the competition, the Russian Mirra Andreeva (194th), who celebrated her 16th birthday by beating the Polish Magda Linette (19th), 6-3, 6-3.
On the other hand, as for Caroline Garcia, the tournament ended there for Coco Gauff. The world No. 6 was severely beaten Saturday by Paula Badosa, 6-3, 6-0.
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