Sat, Jun 08, 2019 page16

• Chan, Dodig retain their title

  MAKING HISTORY: Latisha Chan and Ivan Dodig were the first pair to defend the title since Margaret Court and Ken Fletcher, who won in Paris from 1963 to 1965

  • By Dave Carroll / Staff reporter, with AFP, PARIS
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  Taiwan’s Latisha Chan and Ivan Dodig of Croatia yesterday retained their French Open mixed doubles title, while Ashleigh Barty and Marketa Vondrousova set up a showdown in the women’s singles final today.

  Unseeded Chan and Dodig defeated second seeds and last year’s Australian Open champions Gabriela Dabrowski of Canada and Mate Pavic of Croatia 6-1, 7-6 (7/5) in 1 hour, 19 minutes on Court Simonne-Mathieu at Roland Garros in a rerun of last year’s final.

  The reigning champions saved one of the two break points they faced and converted three of five, winning 76 percent of points on their first serve to lift the trophy for the second year running.

  

  Taiwan’s Latisha Chan, right, and Croatia’s Ivan Dodig hoist the French Open mixed doubles trophy at Roland Garros in Paris yesterday. The Taiwanese-Croatian duo defeated Canada’s Gabriela Dabrowski and Croatia’s Mate Pavic 6-1, 7-6 (7/5) in the final on Court Simonne Mathieu.

  Photo: AP

  The last pair to successfully defend the title were Margaret Court and Ken Fletcher, three-time champions from 1963 to 1965.

  The Taiwanese-Croatian duo also did it in style, as they did not drop a set in their five matches at Roland Garros this year.

  It was Chan’s third Grand Slam doubles title following last year’s victory in Paris and her US Open win in the women’s doubles with Martina Hingis in 2017.

  

  Taiwan’s Latisha Chan, left, looks on as Croatian partner Ivan Dodig returns to Canada’s Gabriela Dabrowski and Croatia’s Mate Pavic in the French Open mixed doubles final at Roland Garros in Paris yesterday.

  Photo: AP

  In the women’s singles, Barty and Vondrousova shrugged off a sexism row to advance after their semi-finals were shifted away from the tournament’s showpiece court.

  Barty reached her first final at a Grand Slam, coming back from a set and 0-3 down to defeat 17-year-old Amanda Anisimova 6-7 (4/7), 6-3, 6-3 in a roller-coaster semi-final.

  Czech teen Vondrousova also made sure of her place in a maiden final at a Slam by edging Johanna Konta 7-5, 7-6 (7/2).

  Vondrousova is the first teenager in a Paris final since Ana Ivanovic in 2007.

  Eighth seed Barty, 23, is the first Australian in a French Open final since Samantha Stosur finished runner-up in 2010.

  “That was amazing, both good and bad,” said Barty, who is to rise to the top three in the rankings next week. “It was the hardest thing that I ever had to do. I am really proud of the way I fought especially in the conditions, which were cold and windy. Now I can’t wait for the final, it’s incredible.”

  Both semi-finals got underway after accusations of sexism were made against the organizers, who decided to shift the matches away from the showpiece Court Philippe Chatrier. The main arena had already been scheduled to stage the men’s semi-finals.

  The WTA said the decision, taken after Wednesday’s play was washed out and prompted by fears of more rain yesterday, was “unfair and inappropriate.”

  On a damp and windy Court Simonne-Mathieu, world No. 38 Vondrousova battled past 26th seed Konta, who was bidding to become Britain’s first female French Open finalist since Sue Barker won the 1976 title.

  Konta looked the stronger player for large periods of the match, but a staggering 41 unforced errors proved costly.
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