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.
Feature Photo: Martin Sidorjak
