By Richard Pagliaro | Tuesday, June 6, 2017
Turbulence tested Timea Bacsinszky on a variety of unpredictable levels.
A blustery wind, two rain delays, a powerful French opponent, vocal French crowd and some funky bounces off the terre battue all forced some adjustments from the thoughtful Swiss.
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Braving those trials with a strong mind and fast feet, Bacsinszky beat back Kristina Mladenovic, 6-4, 6-4, bursting into the Roland Garros semifinals for the second time in the last three years.
It was Bacsinszky’s 14th victory in her last 16 matches in Paris.
The 30th-seeded Swiss will play 19-year-old Jelena Ostapenko for a spot in Saturday’s final.
Contesting her eighth career Grand Slam event, the 47th-ranked Latvian broke serve seven times toppling former world No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki, 4-6, 6-2, 6-2—her fourth win over Wozniacki in as many meetings.
High energy, fast feet and firm ball striking helped Bacsinszky navigating a tempestuous wind at the start, two rain delays and the pro-Mladenovic French crowd.
Beneath a slate sky, the match began with a whipping wind gusting at 19 mph and sometimes scattering bits of clay.
Staring through the swirl, Bacsinszky broke at 30 to open then saved a break point to consolidate for 2-0.
Hitting into the wind, Mladenovic saved a break point in the third game then broke back for 2-all on a Bacsinszky double fault.
Tricky conditions continued to wreak havoc on shot selection. The 14th-ranked Frenchwoman squandered a 40-love lead netting a drop shot as Bacsinszky broke again for 3-2.
As the wind calmed, Mladenovic began asserting her aggression.
The 24-year-old Frenchwoman scored the fourth break of the set for 4-all. Mladenovic erased three break points in the following game, including an adventurous rally that ended with a backhand volley winner. Bacsinszky banged a backhand crosscourt for a fourth break point and when Mladenovic floated a forehand the Swiss capped a 10-minute game with her third break.
Serving for the set, Bacsinszky opened with an ace, saved a break point at 30-40 then closed the 62-minute opener slashing her third ace out wide.
The 27-year-old Swiss navigated the wind with more care playing cleaner tennis for much of the first set.
The skies opened with Mladenovic facing break point in the third game of the second set.
Play resumed following a three hour, 14-minute delay play resumed with the home favorite holding.
The Bacsinszky forehand is a loopier and less stable stroke than her two-handed backhand. Her forehand fell apart in the fourth game as a pair of netted forehands gave Mladenovic the break and a 3-1 lead.
The 2009 Roland Garros girls’ champion could not confirm it. Mladenovic double faulted and splattered a forehand into net gifting back the break.
An empowered Bacsinszky broke again at love—her third straight game—to go back up a break, 4-3.
Approaching dangerous weather prompted chair umpire Carlos Ramos to suspend play after 20 minutes with Bacsinszky serving at 4-3, love-15.
Conditions were calmer—and crowd sparser—when play resumed after a second rain delay of nearly a half hour. Scrapping back from love-30 down, Bacsinszky exploited a sloppy patch from her opponent, reeling off four points in a row to move to within one game of the semifinals.
Amid rhythmic clapping fans chanted “Kiki! Kiki!” as Mladenovic won the opening two points of the 10th game only to balloon a backhand for 30-all. A daring backhand drop shot earned the woman in green a break point, but Mladenovic netted her best shot, the forehand, and could not convert.
Curling a forehand down the line brought Bacsinszky to match point.
Dragging her opponent forward with a slice forehand, Bacsinszky closed when Mladenovic botched a high forehand volley.