For the third time in a row, Caroline Garcia will be there for the second week in the Grand Slam. No one expected less from the No. 4 seed of this Australian Open, but the march to the round of 16 was difficult to overcome. The Frenchwoman, author of a reverse start, had all the trouble to free herself against Laura Siegemund before succeeding in taming the German (1-6, 6-3, 6-3). She will face Magda Linette or Ekaterina Alexandrova in the next round.
Never, or almost, did the Lyonnaise seem totally comfortable on the Kia Arena against this opponent ranked 158th in the world. During a set, she was even unrecognizable, her head upside down, very nervous and unable to get into the ball well. Her service, on which she had relied in the previous round against Leylah Fernandez, was also absent. And the quantified balance sheet at the end of this start to the match said everything about the galley in which it was embarked: 6-1 for Siegemund, 16 unforced errors for six winning shots and 56% of firsts.
A disputed third set
In great difficulty on the court, Garcia had the merit of continuing to fight, both against the German and against herself. And it ended up paying off little by little. A few straight, if not totally hard-hitting, forehands started to come off the racket. And on a backhand winner, she finally raised her fist to her clan, when she only exchanged worried looks with her team in the first set. A half-volley delicate to touch gave him the break and more assurance on the serve allowed him to lead his boat until the equalizer at one set everywhere.
His entry break in the third seemed to show that everything was back to normal. But a catastrophic service game in stride, punctuated by two double faults, sent the Frenchwoman back to her doubts and her mistakes. She tapped her finger on her temple, as if to signify that everything was going to be played out in her head. And it was with courage and despite her faults that she was going to look for a new break, decisive this one before concluding a few minutes later on her second match point. The main thing was safe: Garcia is qualified for the rest.