Qualifying The Qualifiers
To play through the qualifying events into the Roland Garros main draw required more than the usual grittiness to gain spots in the draws at the Terre Battue Cathedral. Sixteen men and twelve women successfully made the journey. For some the trip was a captivating adventure.
Nadia Podoroska had never won a main draw singles match at a Grand Slam. Ranked No. 131 going into the tournament, the 23-year-old Argentine passed two three set tests, one in the second round, 6-3, 1-6, 6-2 against Yulia Putintseva of Kazakhstan and another in the fourth round when she stopped Barbora Krejčíková of the Czech Republic, 2-6, 6-2, 6-3. She became the third women’s qualifier in the Open Era to reach the semifinals, scoring a 6-2, 6-4 quarterfinal decision over Svitolina. She had hoped to better the result of fellow Argentine, Paola Suárez who lost to Elena Dementieva of Russia, 6-0, 7-5 at Roland Garros in 2004. Świątek ended Podoroska’s “tournament to remember”, 6-2, 6-1 in the semifinals.
That Martina Trevisan of Italy qualified is not her Roland Garros story. Neither is reaching the quarterfinals where tournament champion Świątek put her on the sidelines, 6-3, 6-1. In today’s game, she is tiny, five foot, three inches to be exact, but she plays with clever lefthanded tenacity. It showed as she defeated Coco Gauf of the US, 6-4, 6-2, 7-5 in the second round. Maria Sakkari, the formidable Greek woman, was the next to fall 1-6, 7-6, 6-3. Then, No. 5 seed Kiki Bertens of the Netherlands was dispatched, 6-4, 6-4 in the fourth round. The victories brought the No. 159 ranked performer some attention, but her all around honesty really drew notice. This summer, Trevisan began sharing that she had spent time dealing with a problem. That difficulty had kept her occupied for four years, beginning in 2010, from participating in tennis. Unbeknownst to most people in the game, she was a member of a “secret society”, one that has included Madison Keys of the US, Eugenie Bouchard of Canada, as well as former players such as Marion Bartoli of France and Monica Seles of the US. She had suffered from an eating disorder. A combination of factors – her father’s illness, pressure of being an elite junior, as well as tension with her mother who is a tennis coach and unhappiness with the look of her muscular body – led her to eat next to nothing on a daily basis. She finally sought professional help and has made steady progress dealing with anorexia and the mental issues surrounding the affliction. Her return to competition has been as steady as her candor in dealing with the issue. Proud of what she has accomplished, Trevisan is clear about what she wants for those facing the problem – Never give up.
Daniel Altmaier of Italy turned 22 on September 12th. He joined the professional ranks in 2014, but shoulder and back trouble had limited the German’s tour successes. Prior to qualifying for Roland Garros, he had never played in a major. His fondness for playing on Terre battue was evident as the No. 186 ranked player dismissed Feliciano Lopez of Spain, Jen-Lennard Stuff of Germany and fellow Italian and No. 7 seed, Matteo Berrettini – all in straight sets. In keeping with the three sets theme, Pablo Carreño Busta ended Altmaier’s spectacular run in straight sets, 6-2, 7-5, 6-2.
Qualifier Marco Cecchinato of Italy is the answer to the ultimate tennis trivia question – name a current “not well known” men’s competitor who has won at least one singles and one doubles match at each of the majors? Cecchinato owns this one-of-a-kind Grand Slam tournament double. He made his best showing in a “Big 4” at 2018 Roland Garros. That year, he upset the No. 10 and No. 8 seeds Carreño Busta of Spain and David Goffin of Belgium in the third and fourth rounds. In the quarterfinals, he downed Novak Djokovic, the No. 20 seeded Serbian who had been injured and off the tour, (which resulted in his low seeding), in four sets. He lost to Dominic Thiem of Austria, 7-5, 7-6, 6-1 in the semifinals. This year in Paris, he reached the third round where Alexander Zverev of Germany 6-1, 7-5, 6-3 sent him packing.
Italian qualifier Lorenzo Giustino and Frenchman Corentin Moutet were involved in a two-day six hour and five minute, rain-delayed, first round match that was Tour de France consuming. It showcased stubbornness that rivaled drinking day-old espresso. The No. 157 ranked Giustino finally upset his twenty-one year old opponent ranked No. 71. The score said a good deal – 0-6, 7-6, 7-6, 2-6, 18-16. For Giustino, it was a spectacular first tour victory. He hadn’t realized until his coach told him, that there was no fifth set Tie-Break in Paris. In his next match, Diego Schwartzman, the Argentine, version of a roadrunner, swept aside his weary foe, 6-1, 7-5, 6-0. The twenty-nine year old Giustino left Stade Roland Garros receiving accolades for being the winner of the second longest match in tournament history. (The tournament’s longest match was also a first round battle. In 2004, Fabrice Santoro defeated French countryman Arnaud Clement, 6-4, 6-3, 6-7, 3-6, 16-14 in a record-setting six hour and thirty-three minutes.)
Sara Errani has always been a “take no prisoners” type competitor. She is a feisty scrapper who never gives up. In her eighteen-year pro career, Roland Garros has been her best slam. A finalist in 2012, a semifinalist in 2013 and a back-to-back quarterfinalist in 2015 and ’14, she may be the first player in tennis history to reach the title round at a major and later in her career comeback and play the qualifying in order to gain a place in the draw. The thirty-three year old did it, then raced past Monica Puig of Puerto Rico 6-2, 6-1 in the first round. In her next outing, which became a very contentious contest she lost to No. 5 seed Kiki Bertens of the Netherlands, 7-6, 3-6, 9-7. At the end of that marathon, Bertens was cramping so badly that she had to use a wheelchair to leave the court. Errani didn’t earn any sportsmanship points mocking her opponent and claiming that she was faking it, “For an hour she’s injured, then she run like never (before)…” Both players saved match points and Errani added to the spectacle serving underhand on occasion because the mechanics of her ball toss, along with her service motion became very erratic.
