By Richard Pagliaro | Suday, June 4, 2017
Timea Bacsinszky used an eight-game burst to bounce Venus Williams out of Paris for the second straight year, ensuring a first-time Grand Slam champion.
Photo credit: Julian Finney/Getty
Soaring through six straight games to seize the first set, Venus Williams was operating at a lofty level.
Undaunted by her first set collapse, Timea Bacsinszky was flying high herself.
More: Mladenovic Downs Defending Champion
Jumping up and down behind the baseline, the Swiss sent a message of energy and urgency across the net.
Then Bacsinszky bounced Williams out of Roland Garros for the second straight year.
Empowered by an eight-game burst, Bacsinszky beat Williams, 5-7, 6-2, 6-1, advancing to the Roland Garros quarterfinals for the third consecutive year and ensuring there will be a first-time Grand Slam champion in Paris.
The lone American and last Grand Slam champion standing in the women’s draw made a spirited comeback in the opening set, but could not solve Bacsinszky’s baseline attack of varied spins and speeds over the final two sets.
Aiming for her second French Open semifinal in the last three years, 30th-seeded Swiss will face 2016 Roland Garros doubles champion Kristina Mladenovic in the quarterfinals. The pair have split two prior meetings.
Exhorted by an enthusiastic home crowd, the 13th-seeded Mladenovic overcame 16 double faults defeating defending champion Garbine Muguruza, 6-1, 3-6, 6-3, to her her first Roland Garros quarterfinal in her ninth appearance.
Facing off for the first time since Bacsinszky beat Williams, 6-2, 6-4, in the French Open fourth round last spring, this rematch was a match of dueling streaks.
Staring down a double break1-5 deficit, Williams reeled off six straight games to seize the first set. A focused Bacsinszky answered with an eight-game streak of her own to take complete command.
Bacsinszky’s skill blasting her flatter backhand on the move helped her carve out the first break in the third game. She confirmed the break at 30 for a 3-1 lead.
Pulling the string beautifully on an angled forehand drop shot, the Swiss gained another break point in the fifth game. Bacsinszky battered her backhand corner to corner banging out her second straight break for 4-1.
The 2002 finalist earned her first break point in the sixth game, but Bacsinszky denied it.
Bending low, Bacsinszky whipped her two-hander crosscourt sealing a challenging hold for 5-1. A series of damaging backhands from Bacsinszky prompted Williams to change her tactics.
Pressuring the 30th-seeded Swiss’ topspin forehand with more vigor, Williams exploited a pair of double faults to apply pressure again in the eighth game. Stepping into the court, Williams pounded her opponent’s forehand drawing a netted slice forehand to break for 3-5.
Williams worked through a four-deuce game holding in the ninth game.
A looping topspin forehand disrupted Williams’ rhythm coaxing a netted backhand for set point.
In a crackling 22-shot rally, Williams fended off a couple of shots off the line, then jolted a backhand crosscourt to deny set point. The Australian Open finalist saved a second break point on a forehand error.
Struggling to control her stray toss, Bacsinszky caught another toss, was hit with a time violation warning then dragged a forehand wide. The rattled Swiss pasted a forehand into net as Williams broke back for 5-all.
Bouncing up quickly to a mid-court ball, Williams wristed a forehand down the line for set point at the one-hour mark. When Bacsinszky floated a forehand long, Williams had her sixth straight game and the first set in hand.
Resetting after a bathroom break, Bacsinszky broke to start the second set.
Dancing to her left to hit more backhands from her forehand corner, Bacsinszky found the net for break point. The Swiss did well to dig out an awkward half volley, but Williams slid into a forehand pass down the line breaking back for 2-all.
That was Williams’ last significant stand in the match.
Bouncing right back, Bacsinszky spun her two-hander down the line breaking again in the fifth game. As Williams’ level dipped, Bacsinszky began striking with more authority.
The 36-year-old American pasted a backhand into the middle of the net as Bacsinszky broke again for 5-2. It was her third break of the set; Bacsinszky had won 11 consecutive points played on Williams’ second serve to that point.
The 2015 semifinalist served out the set, leveling the match after 96 minutes of play.
The unsettling combination of Bacsinszky’s looping topspin backhand that often bounded shoulder high and her compact crackling backhand that stayed low on the dirt grinded down the gears in her veteran opponent’s game.
Williams wilted in the decider, while Bacsinszky played creative combinations to extend her roll.
A sweeping backhand volley winner sealed Bacsinszky’s break to open the final set. Two games later she elicited an errant backhand breaking for 3-0.
Mother Oracene was leaning forward in her seat clapping encouragement to her daughter, who earned break points in the fourth game only to sail a deep backhand as Bacsinszky earned her eighth consecutive game for 4-0.
A drop shot brought Bacsinszky to triple match point. She carved out a backhand drop shot evicting Williams from Paris for the second straight year and ensuring there will be a first-time Grand Slam champion at Roland Garros this year.