French Open 2023: 3 biggest upsets on Day 6, ft. Andrey Rublev
Up until a week ago, Andrey Rublev looked well-positioned for a big run at the 2023 French Open. The big-hitting Russian had conquered his biggest title on clay at the Monte-Carlo Masters this year and was among the top eight seeds in Paris. It all, however, came to nought on Friday.
Much like the opening few days, Friday saw a fair few upsets. Tennis action heated up even more in the run-up to the second week and Andrey Rublev was not the only casualty. Here, we dissect the three biggest upsets from Day 6 of the French Open:
#1 Andrey Rublev
It was smooth sailing for men's seventh seed Andrey Rublev at Court Suzanne Lenglen for about two sets. The Russian made a strong start to his second-round match against Lorenzo Sonego to race to a 7-5, 6-0 lead.
Something, however, changed at the start to the third. Sonego broke his opponent's serve for just the second time in the encounter to pull things back just a tad, before edging the fourth set in a tiebreaker.
With Sonego on the upswing, Rublev found himself staring at danger. Heading into the fifth set, he raised his game and both men held their serves after lengthy games to have Sonego lead 3-2. The Italian, however, continued to play inspired tennis — running around the backhand to look to dictate and dashing to the net at every chance he got. Rublev finally crumbled and fell behind 5-3.
The final game was too close for comfort, but Sonego kept going after the ball and was ecstatic when a Rublev volley landed wide of the sidelines. The 5-7, 0-6, 6-3, 7-6(5), 6-3 win was particularly special as it marked the first occasion that the Italian came back from being two sets down and just the third of him making the second week at a Slam.
#2 Jessica Pegula
Contrary to Andrey Rublev's trajectory, Jessica Pegula, the third seed in the women's draw, found herself unable to hit the ball past Elise Mertens at the start of their third-round encounter at Court Philippe Chatrier.
The Belgian was rock solid from the back court, frustrating her opponent in overplaying. The strategy worked wonders as Mertens found herself up a set — one with a neat 6-1 scoreline — in no time.
Pegula began playing with a lot more patience in the second set, but there was no let-up from Mertens. The Belgian was reading the game superbly, and stayed two steps ahead of her opponent for most part. In the end, it was her controlled aggression and willingness to chase down every ball that won over Pegula's slightly off-kilter hitting and helped her notch a 6-1, 6-3 win.
Mertens will take on former French Open finalist and fellow upset artist Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in the next round.
#3 Anastasia Potapova (lost to former French Open finalist)
Former French Open finalist Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova won the battle of the Anastasias out on Court 14, continuing her return to the Grand Slam stage after a prolonged injury break in Paris.
A poor 10th game in the opening set was all that separated Pavlyuchenkova, who had previously upset another Russian in her last match in the form of Liudmila Samsonova, from her opponent.
The big baseline hitting continued into the second set, but it was Pavlyuchenkova, who began to put more behind the ball. Potapova fought valiantly, doing her best to neutralize the power coming at her from the other end, but it proved too much in the end.
Pavlyuchenkova won the second set 6-3, before delivering a bagel in the third for a 4-6, 6-3, 6-0 win. With the sting back in her groundstrokes, this is the best the Russian has looked since her comeback.