Taiwan’s Chan Hao-ching on Monday fell to a shock defeat in the quarter-finals of the mixed doubles, while in the women’s singles Amanda Anisimova became the first player born in the 21st century to reach a Grand Slam quarter-final.
Sixth seeds Chan and Oliver Marach fell to a 6-3, 6-4 defeat to Nadiia Kichenok of Ukraine and Aisam-ul-haq Qureshi of Pakistan in 67 minutes on Court Simmone-Mathieu at Roland Garros.
The Taiwanese-Austrian duo saved three of six break points and converted the only one they created, but they only won 28 percent of points on their second serve to crash out in Paris.
Photo: EPA-EFE
In the women’s singles, Anisimova, still only 17 and ranked 51st in the world, with quick-strike strokes and self-described “effortless shots” became the first player born in the 2000s to reach a Grand Slam quarter-final, overwhelming Aliona Bolsova of Spain 6-3, 6-0 to earn the right to face defending champion Simona Halep.
Anisimova, born in New Jersey and based in Florida, is the youngest US player to get to the quarter-finals in Paris since Jennifer Capriati in 1993 and the youngest from any nation since 2006.
Not that she is keeping track.
“I have no idea about who did what at what age. People tell me and then I just forget after a second. I don’t really care about it too much,” said Anisimova, the words flying out of her mouth with the same sort of pace that balls zoom off her racket. “I’m in the present and I want to do good, and I hope for good results, but I don’t really think about how old I am.”
Next she takes on 27-year-old Halep, the third seed, who dispatched another teenager, Iga Swiatek of Poland, 6-1, 6-0.
When asked about going from an 18-year-old opponent in Swiatek to Anisimova, Halep’s initial reply was: “I feel old.”
“To play against someone 10 years younger than me, that’s not easy, but I feel stronger on court,” Halep said. “They’re young. They have nothing to lose. So every match is tough.”
Halep is one of only two women left in the draw who already own a major title. The other quarter-final matchup in her half is eighth seed Ashleigh Barty of Australia against 14th seed Madison Keys of the US.
In the other half of the draw, 2017 US Open champion Sloane Stephens meets 26th seed Johanna Konta of Britain, while 31st seed Petra Martic of Croatia faces 19-year-old Marketa Vondrousova of the Czech Republic.
Stephens, the runner-up to Halep in Paris a year ago, joins Keys and Anisimova to give the US a trio of French Open quarter-finalists for the first time since Capriati and the two Williams sisters made it that far in 2004.
If Halep’s first attempt to defend a Grand Slam trophy got off to a shaky start with a pair of three-setters, she is really rounding into form now. She has ceded a total of four games over the past two rounds.
“You have to enjoy the moment,” Halep said.
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