French Open: Kristina Mladenovic stuns Garbine Muguruza in fourth round
Tuesday 6 June 2017 08:34, UK
Defending champion Garbine Muguruza crashed out of the French Open as she was beaten 6-1 3-6 6-3 in the fourth round by Kristina Mladenovic on Sunday.
Mladenovic served 16 double faults but still came out on top in an absorbing clash to set up a quarter-final meeting with Timea Bacsinszky, who beat Venus Williams 5-7 6-2 6-1.
It is the first time French 13th seed Mladenovic has reached the last eight at Roland Garros.
A year after showing so much resolve on her way to winning the tournament, Muguruza fell apart down the stretch as she became increasingly frustrated by the partisan crowd.
She broke down in tears in her post-match press conference and had to be escorted out of the room for a break.
"The crowd today was a little bit tough on me, but I understand. I just think that they were a little bit disrespectful of my game," she said. "We're here for the good and for the bad. I love this tournament, no matter what happens."
Mladenovic raced through the first set but Muguruza pegged her back, with the Spaniard looking much more like the player who stunned Serena Williams last year than the one who has failed to make a single final since.
Muguruza had taken confidence from coming through three tough matches, but a break of serve at the start of the decider gave the impetus back to Mladenovic.
The 24-year-old tweaked her back on the eve of the tournament and has struggled on serve ever since. She was under pressure in almost every game - often self-inflicted with a raft of double faults.
But Mladenovic played superbly on the big points, pumping her fist and screaming after every one, and Muguruza's resistance wilted in a poor final game.
The Spaniard stormed off court wagging her finger at the vocal crowd, while Mladenovic celebrated almost as if she had won the tournament, running to shake hands with French federation president Bernard Giudicelli.
Three more wins would see her become the first home winner of a singles title at Roland Garros since Mary Pierce in 2000, but there must be some concern over how much physical and emotional energy she has expended.
The 13th seed came close to losing in both the first and third rounds and must now refocus for the quarter-finals.
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