Gabriela Dabrowski will compete for at least one title at Roland-Garros following Wednesday's semifinal victory in mixed doubles. The Ottawan, alongside American Evan King, defeated Asia Muhammad of the United States and Nikola Mektic of Croatia 7-5, 6-7(6), 10-5.
Dabrowski and King’s forehands were a bit up and down throughout the first set, which largely dictated the result. Between the two of them, they struck three winners off that wing in the sixth game on Mektic’s serve to go up an early break 4-2. But in the following game on Dabrowski’s serve, they missed three to give the break right back.
It seemed like the set was going to a tiebreak at 5-6, 40-love on Muhammad’s serve, but Dabrowski and King had no interest in going the distance. After Muhammad missed a forehand, the Canadian-American duo reeled off three straight winners, the last two off the forehand wing, to score a surprising break and wrap up the opening set.
Both teams got through their early service games without much difficulty. At 4-3 on Muhammad’s serve, Dabrowski stepped up and took over. The Ottawan had three winners in the game, including back-to-back from 30-all, converting the break by setting herself up for an easy volley winner with a huge return.
Read also: Auger-Aliassime Makes Canadian Tennis History by Reaching First Roland-Garros Quarter-final
Given how easily they had been holding all set, it seemed like King was going to punch their ticket to the final in the ninth game, bringing up triple match point at 40-15. However, Muhammad and Mektic saved all three, with Dabrowski missing her poach volley on the deciding point to put the set back on serve. Then at 5-5, the Ottawan missed a pair of backhands on her own serve to put their opponents up 6-5.
The drama was not done though. Dabrowski and King proceeded to go up 15-40 as Muhammad tried to serve out the set. Mektic saved the first two break points with some big hitting but netted his volley on the deciding point to send the set to a tiebreak.
Muhammad and Mektic looked primed to run away with it when they scored an early minibreak and then led 6-3, but three straight winners from Dabrowski and King, two of them on return, erased the set points. But Muhammad and Mektic were not to be denied. A volley winner gave them another set point and this time the Ottawan’s return sailed long to send the semi to a match tiebreak.
Read also: Victoria Mboko set to begin National Bank Open title defence on Wednesday, August 5
Once again, it was Muhammad and Mektic taking the early lead, racing out to a 5-1 lead in the deciding breaker. But that was as close as they would come as Dabrowski and King roared back in dramatic fashion. They would not lose another point, winning the last nine in a row to punch their ticket to the final.
Dabrowski and King will battle top-seeds Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori in Thursday’s final. The Canadian is still in the running for a women’s doubles title as her and Luisa Stefani play their semifinal on Friday.
Auger-Aliassime’s Roland-Garros Run Ends to Cobolli in Quarter-finals
Félix Auger-Aliassime just fell short of his third Grand Slam semifinal, losing in the Roland-Garros quarters to Flavio Cobolli on Wednesday.
The Canadian No. 1 broke to clinch the opening set but, once Cobolli found some rhythm on serve, he couldn’t capitalize on many of his chances the rest of the way as the 25-year-old converted on just three of his 11 break points. Instead, the Italian No. 3 was efficient with his break opportunities, converting on half of his ten attempts to power him to the 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 victory.
The mix of high winds and drizzle put Auger-Aliassime in some trouble early on. The Montrealer whiffed on an overhead and committed a double fault in the first two rallies of the match, eventually leading to double break point for Cobolli at 15-40. Auger-Aliassime conceded serve but immediately broke back as the world No. 6 settled into the conditions.
Auger-Aliassime battled through gusts of clay and saved break point in the third game, stringing together three-consecutive service holds to stay slightly in front at 4-3. The Canadian then piled the pressure in the tenth game as he needed two tries to break and close out the opening set.
The roof closed upon Court Philippe-Chatrier prior to the start of the second, much to the delight of Auger-Aliassime whose eight of nine ATP titles have come indoors. From the beginning of the third game, the Canuck won eight of the next nine balls to score the early break and lead 3-1.
However, Cobolli soon picked things up under the closed roof. The Italian was a lot more aggressive on return and broke back-to-back as part of his winning run of four-straight games. The world No. 14 comfortably served out the set at 5-4 to even the contest.
Auger-Aliassime threw everything at Cobolli in the third as he looked to regain the advantage. The Canadian held seven break points in the set, including three at 1-2, love-40, but failed to capitalize on any. On the other end, the Italian needed just one chance to force a loss of serve in the seventh game before he held double set point at 5-4, 40-15, sealing the third on the first attempt.
Both players finally felt some comfort on serve, but that luxury lasted until the fifth game as Cobolli had the opportunity to inch closer to the semifinals at 2-2, 30-40. The Florence-native watched Auger-Aliassime’s backhand drift wide for the break before consolidating to go 4-2 up.
Read also: This Week in Tennis - Upsets Define Week One at Roland-Garros
At 5-4, Cobolli needed a lucky 13th-straight hold in order to book his spot into the final four, and he was on pace to do so with double match point. The 24-year-old fired his 33rd winner on the first try to reach his maiden Grand Slam semifinal.
Auger-Aliassime still made history with his Roland-Garros result, becoming the first Canadian singles player to make the quarters of every major. The Canadian will also have a new career-high, jumping two spots up to No. 4.
Feature Photo: Martin Sidorjak
