IMAGE: Germany’s Alexander Zverev celebrates victory over Tomas Machac of the Czech Republic in the men’s singles second round at Roland-Garros Stadium, Paris, on Tuesday. Photograph: Edgar Su/Reuters
Defending Olympic champion Alexander Zverev kept cool in soaring temperatures to march into the third round of the men’s singles but women’s second seed Coco Gauff’s challenge wilted as she was knocked out in the third round on Tuesday.
Germany’s Zverev, the third seed, took to a sun-baked Court Philippe Chatrier after Gauff’s demise but avoided any similar mishaps as he beat Czech player Tomas Machac 6-3, 7-5.
American Gauff began superbly against experienced Croatian Donna Vekic but after failing to convert two set points in the opening set tie-breaker, slumped to a 7-6(7), 6-2 defeat.
Zverev reached the French Open final this year and looked perfectly at home on the Parisian clay as he maintained a strong start to his bid to repeat his Tokyo gold.
He was pushed hard in the second set as the heat took its toll but turned on the afterburners at 5-5 with two searing forehand passes earning him the crucial break of serve before he sealed the contest a game later.
IMAGE: Alexander Zverev and Tomas Machac shake hands after the match. Photograph: Edgar Su/Reuters
With temperatures soaring into the mid 30s Celsius (90s Fahrenheit) at Roland Garros, organisers the International Tennis Federation invoked the extreme heat protocols that allowed for a 10-minute break after the second set of singles matches.
It came too late for Britain’s Jack Draper though, as he was beaten in the second round by American seventh seed Taylor Fritz despite edging a first-set on the tiebreak, afterwards saying he could not keep his water bottles cool.
“I’m a big sweater so to retain fluid was tough. It was pretty poor,” he said. “They give bottles to the players but the bottles don’t stay cool, so, you know, you’re drinking hot water out there. That’s not fun in those sort of conditions.”
Germany’s Angelique Kerber, a singles silver-medallist in Rio de Janeiro, will retire after the Olympics but moved in sight of a spectacular final chapter to her career as she beat Canada’s Leylah Fernandez 6-4, 6-3 to reach the quarter-finals.
There was better news for Canada though with Felix Auger-Aliassime thrashing Maximilian Marterer 6-0, 6-1 to reach the third round of the singles.
Vekic first Croatian to reach Olympics women’s singles quarters
IMAGE: Coco Gauff in action during the women’s singles third round match against Croatia’s Donna Vekic at the Paris Olympics on Tuesday. Photograph: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports/Reuters
American Coco Gauff’s hopes of singles gold at the Olympics evaporated in the third round as she argued with officials and slumped to a 7-6(7), 6-2 defeat by Croatia’s Donna Vekic in furnace-like conditions at Roland Garros in Paris on Tuesday.
The 20-year-old second seed marched into a 5-2 lead in the opening set but Vekic responded with some sublime claycourt tennis to turn the match on its head.
Vekic saved two set points in a crucial opening set tie-break and was the better player as she became the first Croatian to reach the Olympic women’s singles quarter-finals since Iva Majoli in 1996.
US Open champion Gauff was left angry and in tears as an over-ruled line call saw her slip 4-2 down in the second set, the American being overheard saying “I’m being cheated.”
Her long protestations with the umpire and supervisor came to nothing though.
The sun-baked Philippe Chatrier crowd got behind Gauff after that but ice-cool Vekic, seeded 13th, sealed the win as the American’s game disintegrated. Olympic debutant Gauff will now focus on mixed doubles and women’s doubles.
IMAGE: Donna Vekic is the first Croatian to reach the Olympic women’s singles quarter-finals since Iva Majoli in 1996. Photograph: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports/Reuters
Gauff refused to blame the dispute for her loss but insisted, with some justification, that the point should have been replayed because the line judge’s initial shout of “out” impeded her stroke.
“I felt that he called it before I hit and I don’t think the referee disagreed but he just thought it didn’t affect my swing which I felt like it did,” she told reporters.
“I mean, there’s been multiple times this year where that happened to me, where I feel like I always have to be an advocate for myself on the court.
“I feel like in tennis we should have a VR (video review) because these points are big deals. Afterwards they apologise, but sorry doesn’t help you once the match is over.
“But I’m not going to sit here and say one point effected the result today, I was already on the losing side of things.”
IMAGE: Coco Gauff congratulates Donna Vekic after the match. Photograph: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports/Reuters
The 28-year-old Vekic suffered a heart-breaking loss to Jasmine Paolini in the Wimbledon semi-finals but has bounced back impressively in Paris.
She said the atmosphere on the court was one of the best she had played in.
“It was very, very tough. When we practised this morning the roof was closed so it took me a couple of games to adjust (to the heat). The ball was flying a little bit,” she said.
“The support has been unbelievable and I’m having a great time in the village so hopefully I can win one or two matches more. Then we can talk about medals.”
