SUNDAY, MAY 29, 2016 SPORTS FRENCH OPEN Want more spotlight? Get better, Bacsinszky tells women PARIS: Timea Bacsinszky has a simple players’ photos were featured on the number nine Bacsinszky acknowledged message for women players wanting front cover of the tournament’s daily that the same “buzz” does not surround more of the media spotlight- get better. magazine Quotidien, but not her, the women’s game but says she does The Swiss eighth seed is used to living despite reaching the second round. It not lose too much sleep about her glob- in the shadow of Roger Federer and sparked a wider debate about whether al standing in tennis. reigning French Open champion Stan the women’s game receives enough “If people talk about me, that’s good. Wawrinka although she made headlines attention and the eloquent Bacsinszky If nobody talks about me... I think in last year at Roland Garros when she had some interesting thoughts on the French we say, ‘to live happily you have reached the semi-finals before losing to matter. to live in the dark’.” Parmentier, one of Serena Williams. With Federer ruled out “What I expect is not to be in the three French women to reach the third of the French Open this year and nine- spotlight. To be in the spotlight, you round, admitted that the men’s game times champion Rafael Nadal withdraw- have to deserve it,” the 26-year-old said. was ‘more enticing’. “Of course from time ing on Friday with injury some of the “I’ll never think, ‘why are they talking to time we wish we could get more regular storylines are missing. more about Stan and Rog when I’ve just media coverage, especially when there “If you want people to talk more won a match?’ “Being ranked 50th in the are good matches,” she said. “But I’m not about yourself, play better. Be better. world, I wouldn’t expect anybody to asking newspapers and media to sell You can’t expect anything else,” she said praise my games.” The current men’s era dreams. I will be clear about that. I after beating France’s Pauline is regarded as the best ever with classic mean, men’s tennis is more attractive Parmentier 6-4 6-2 to reach the last 16 rivalries between the top four or five than women’s tennis.” Bacsinszky plays yesterday. Parmentier, ranked 88, made players, a situation not repeated on the either Venus Williams or another PARIS: Switzerland’s Timea Bacsinszky returns the ball to France’s Pauline a tongue in cheek complaint earlier in women’s side where Serena Williams Frenchwoman, Alize Cornet, in the Parmentier during their women’s third round match at the Roland Garros 2016 the week when three French women currently has no obvious peer. World fourth round.—Reuters French Tennis Open in Paris yesterday. — AFP Serena roars into fourth round, tears for Tsonga PARIS: Thunderclaps, rain delays, an inspired home favorite roared on by a partisan crowd-it was all in a day’s work for reigning champion Serena Williams as the world number one roared into the second week of the French Open yester- day. The 34-year-old American needed all her experience and tenacity to fight off France’s Kristina Mladenovic 6-4 7-6(10) in an absorbing contest to set up a last-16 clash with Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina who beat 2008 champion Ana Ivanovic 6-4 6-4. There was further French disappointment lat- er when popular sixth seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga was forced to retire against unseeded Latvian Ernests Gulbis leading 5-2. Tsonga, who has come closer than anyone to emulating Yannick Noah, the last home man to win the French Open in 1983, walked off with tears in his eyes after appearing to hurt his knee. Spain’s Carla Suarez Navarro, last year’s semi-finalist Timea Bacsinszky and unseeded Kazakh Yulia Putintseva all booked their fourth-round spots before the rains came. As did rising Austrian Dominic Thiem, the 13th seed, who continued his fine claycourt sea- son to beat German teenager Alexander Zverev 6-7(4) 6-3 6-3 6-3. The 22-year-old will face Marcel Granollers next, not more illustrious Spaniard Rafael Nadal who rocked the tourna- ment on Friday when he withdrew because of a left wrist injury. With Roger Federer back in Switzerland with a back injury and twice women’s champion Maria Sharapova provision- ally banned pending the outcome of an anti- doping hearing, the tournament is already miss- ing some of its star turns. So there was already tension in the air as 21- times grand slam champion Williams stepped on PARIS: Romania’s Simona Halep serves the ball to Japan’s Naomi Osaka during their women’s court to face the hard-hitting Mladenovic for the third round match at the Roland Garros 2016 French Tennis Open yesterday. —AFP first time in her long career. Everything seemed to be going to plan as Williams took the opening set despite some impressive play from her oppo- Halep survives scare from nent who used the drop shot to great effect throughout. As the sky darkened and fat rain ‘a child of the internet’ drops began landing on the clay late in the sec- ond Williams seemed anxious to finish the con- PARIS: Simona Halep avoided the embar- turning her racket into a mangled mess after test but Mladenovic stayed strong and forced a rassment of falling victim to a teenager who repeatedly hammering the frame against tiebreak just at the moment the heavens calls herself “a child of the internet” as she the red dirt. It was too late to save the first opened. huffed and puffed her way into the fourth set, but releasing her anger certainly pro- When the contest resumed two and a half round of the French Open with a 4-6 6-2 6-3 duced the desired result in the second set. hours later Williams made a hash of the first few win over Naomi Osaka on Friday. It seemed The 2014 Roland Garros finalist saved a points and trailed 2-5. She recovered to lead 6-5 as if the Romanian’s name would be break point in the opening game before lev- but made an ugly mess of an overhead on splashed across the World Wide Web as the eling the match. Osaka, who was born in match point, then on her second chance to close latest high-profile casualty in the French Japan but raised in the United States by her it out she walloped a forehand long after pounc- PARIS: US player Serena Williams returns the ball to France’s Kristina Mladenovic during their capital after she was totally bamboozled in Haitian father and Japanese mother, was not ing on a loopy Mladenovic drop shot that sat up women’s third round match at the Roland Garros 2016 French Tennis Open yesterday. — AFP the opening set by a Japanese opponent one to give up easily. She fought back from begging. Williams saved a set point with a swing ranked 101st in the world. 3-1 down in the third set to 3-3, again raising volley before another match point came and tennis today.” Spain’s ever-reliable David Ferrer gram because of the rain, before Tsonga’s misfor- However, the sixth seed made sure she the prospect of an upset. went but she could finally produce her victory reached the last 16 for the sixth consecutive year tune sent him back to the main arena. The Serb did not suffer the same fate as Australian However, by this stage, Halep had had roar when her opponent sent a forehand wide at by beating compatriot Feliciano Lopez. Top seed took to court at 7.15pm local time (1715 GMT, Open champion Angelique Kerber, fifth seed her fill of close calls for the day. She ran off 10-11. “It was very difficult today she played real- Novak Djokovic was initially moved from the 1:15 PM ET) and was facing a race against the Victoria Azarenka or twice Wimbledon win- with the last three games to wrap up victo- ly well,” Williams, bidding for a fourth French Court Philippe Chatrier to the smaller Suzanne clock to beat Britain’s Aljaz Bedene before light ner Petra Kvitova. “A year or two ago, I would ry. “She has more experience than me ... I’m Open title, said. “She forced me to play my best Lenglen Court as organizers re-jigged the pro- failed.— Reuters lose this match because the tight matches not the greatest player ever, so I can’t be are not easy to win,” Halep told reporters. “So upset that I lost,” Osaka told reporters. The today I was fighting till the end and I’m really teenager who once declared “I feel like I’m happy with my performance.” Even after a child of the Internet, and the Internet has German player mulls lawsuit Halep lost four games in a row to surrender raised me” may have failed to create the a 4-2 lead in the first set, she kept her wits headlines she wanted, but Halep set up an about her despite the barrage of winners fly- intriguing fourth-round showdown with over Cornet cramping storm ing off Osaka’s racket. The 18-year-old’s win- 2010 runner-up Sam Stosur. “It’s my second ning groundstrokes in the opening set time in the fourth round here at the French drove Halep to take out her frustration on Open.