French Open Day 9: Marin Cilic stuns No. 2 Daniil Medvedev in straight sets
It's Day 9 of the 2022 French Open, and just eight matches stand between us and the quarterfinals. Will this be the day we finally see an upset on the men's side? Will Iga Swiatek continue her winning streak? Will Jessica Pegula and Daniil Medvedev continue playing great tennis and roll into the next round?
Read on to find out.
Cilic stuns No. 2 seed Medvedev in straight sets
After cruising through the first three rounds without dropping a set, Daniil Medvedev's French Open reached a stunning conclusion in the fourth. No. 20 seed Marin Cilic dominated Medvedev from the opening set on Monday en route to a 6-2, 6-3, 6-2 victory to advance to the quarterfinals.
"It was one of the best matches of my career from start to finish," Cilic said during his on-court post-match interview.
Cilic needed just 1:45 to secure his first victory in four career matches against Medvedev. The 2014 US Open champion remains in play for his second career Grand Slam title.
Cilic advances to face 7th-seeded Russian Andrey Rublev in the quarterfinals. Medvedev, meanwhile, faces a long break from Grand Slam play. He and Rublev are both barred from Wimbledon amid the tournament's ban of Russian and Belarusian players because of the war in Ukraine. His next shot at a Grand Slam title will be a title defense of his US Open championship in the fall.
Swiatek overcomes serious challenge from Zheng to win 32nd consecutive match
Iga Swiatek, the No. 1 seed who is now on a 32-match win streak, faced her first real challenge at the French Open on Monday. She defeated Chinese teenager Qinwen Zheng 6(5)-7, 6-0, 6-2, but she didn’t cruise. Swiatek struggled, making mistakes that she’s been able to avoid over her three and a half month reign at the top. Unforced errors began to creep in. Balls she hit ended up in the net and out of bounds. Shots that normally befuddled her opponent were easily returned. She got flustered and frustrated, tightening up when she needed to be loose.
The message from her team in the coach’s box was consistent: breathe. It didn't work. Swiatek changed her shoes, her racket, and her sweatband, but she still couldn't get the upper hand on Zheng. She dropped the first set, which was the first set of any time she'd lost since mid-April at the Stuttgart Open.
Both Swiatek and Zheng continued fighting tooth and nail, but for Zheng the mountain got even higher. At the start of the first set, she needed an injury timeout for a thigh issue. When she returned, she was moving slower and didn't have the same movement as she did before. Despite that, she continued to give Swiatek trouble. It took two hours and 45 minutes, but Swiatek finally defeated Zheng. The No. 1 seed didn't play her best tennis, but her ability to claw out a win is why she's the best in the world.
"I'm proud of myself that I'm still in the tournament"#RolandGarros | @iga_swiatek pic.twitter.com/wfTuguuT3g
— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) May 30, 2022
Rune continues dream run, shocks Tsitsipas
Until Monday, the men's draw had been straight chalk. The Top 10 seeds had won all their matches and there were no upsets to be found. But Holger Rune changed all that. The 19-year-old from Denmark, unseeded at Roland Garros, beat the No. 4 seed Stefanos Tsitsipas in a four-set thriller, winning 7-5, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.
Tsitsipas played a great match, but he was edged out by Rune's power and aggression. Rune admitted he dealt with nerves at the beginning, but was able to put those away once the match really got underway. He knows his strengths and knew that sticking with them would help him throughout the match.
“I have an unbelievable feeling right now,” Rune said in his on-court interview, via the ATP. “I was so nervous at the end but the crowd was amazing for me the whole match, the whole tournament. I am so grateful and so happy to be playing on this court. You guys are amazing.
"I was very nervous but I know at the same time that if I go away from my tactics against a player like Tsitsipas I am going to lose for sure. I told myself just to keep at it and play my plan in the tough moments. It worked out so well in the end and gave me a huge confidence boost. It is just so great to still be here.”
Rune is the first Danish man to reach the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam in the Open Era, which is quite an accomplishment for a guy at his very first French Open. A year ago, he was ranked outside the Top 300 in the ATP rankings. Now, according to the ATP's live rankings, he's jumped all the way up to No. 31.
It was an emotional win for Rune, who is continuing his dream run with his family and friends supporting him in the stands.
“I get so emotional when I talk about family and coaches, but we are still in the quarter-finals, so we haven’t won the tournament yet,” Rune said. “My mum, my whole crew up there is why I am here today. I am so grateful to have such a team helping me in tough situations.”
Pegula swings her way into quarterfinals
Jessica Pegula is playing the best tennis of her life, and she's showing no sign of slowing down. The 11th-seeded American beat Irina-Camelia Begu 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 on Monday to advance to her very first French Open quarterfinal. It didn't start out easy for Pegula, with Begu jumping out to a 2-0 lead. Pegula couldn't play her way back into that set, but with a fresh start in the second set, she really turned it on. As Begu began to tire in the third set, she started sending high, looping returns back over the net. But Pegula was still sharp, hitting flat, powerful lasers toward Begu. Though Begu made a late surge, Pegula was able to swat it down and secure the win.
Other notable results
Madison Keys, the 22nd seed, was defeated by Veronika Kudermetova 6-1, 3-6, 1-6. She'll face Daria Kasatkina in the quarterfinals.
Daria Kasatkina made her way to the quarterfinals by beating Camila Giorgi 6-2, 6-2.
Casper Ruud became the first Norwegian player to make it to the quarterfinal of a Grand Slam when he beat Hubert Hurkacz 6-2, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, and will face Holger Rune in the quarterfinals.
Andrey Rublev is onto the quarterfinals after Jannik Sinner retired from the match due to an injury.
Check back for more results throughout the day.
