Fourth seed at the Australian Open, Caroline Garcia needed to show reaction power to advance to the third round in Melbourne. This Thursday, the Frenchwoman overcame Canadian Leylah Fernandez, 40th in the ranking, with partials of 7/6 (7-5) and 7/5.
In a first set with just one break for each side, Garcia started the tiebreak down 4-0, and then 5-2, but won five straight points to turn the score around. In the following partial, the French still saved a set-point in her serve, when she lost by 5/4, and won the last three games of the match.
At the age of 29, Garcia is making her 12th appearance at the Australian Open and her best result is the round of 16 in 2018. The current number 4 in the world will face German Laura Siegemund, who beat Romanian Irina Begu by 5-7, in the next phase. 7/5 and 6/3.
🎾 Down 2/5 in first-set tie-break
🎾 Saves set point in second set with an ace@CaroGarcia digs deep to pass a stern test from Fernandez!@wwos • @espn • @Eurosport • @wowowtennis • #AusOpen • #AO2023 pic.twitter.com/9KVK9Dsl5l— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 19, 2023
Pliskova and Bia’s executioner also follow, Kontaveit out
Who also advanced was Karolina Pliskova. The former world number 1 overcame Kazakh Yulia Putintseva with 6/0 and 7/5. The 30-year-old Czech and current 31st in the ranking faces the Russian Varvara Gracheva, who had a good campaign. Gracheva had beaten top 10 Daria Kasatkina on her debut, and now overcame Italian qualifier Lucrezia Stefanini 6/3 6/1.
Former number 2 Anett Kontaveit did not make it past the second round. The Estonian, who now occupies the 19th place in the ranking, lost to the Polish Magda Linette by 3/6, 6/3, 6/4. Linette faces Russian Ekaterina Alexandrova.
Algoz of the Brazilian Beatriz Haddad Maia in the debut, the Spanish Nuria Parrizas won another one. She edged past Russia’s Anastasia Potapova 6/3 6/2. Her next rival is Croatian Donna Vekic, who overcame Liudmila Samsonova 6-3, 6-0.
