Reflecting on the pressure that comes with the top spot, Martina Hingis remarked “it’s always easier being the hunter than the hunted.”
Kristina Mladenovic finds life as a favorite fun.
Watch: Giorgi Surprises Svitolina
Asked how she’s handling the pressure that comes with her rankings rise, Mladenovic replied: “So far really well. I mean it’s a very, very enjoyable situation to be at.”
The fifth-seeded Frenchwoman defeated Shuai Zhang, 6-4, 7-6 (3), to advance to a Birmingham quarterfinal against two-time former Wimbledon winner Petra Kvitova.
On a day in which Camila Giorgi toppled second-seeded Elina Svitolina and CoCo Vandeweghe crushed fourth-seeded Johanna Konta, Mladenovic is the highest seed still standing at the Aegon Classic Birmingham.
The 2016 Roland Garros doubles champion concluded clay season with her first career French Open singles quarterfinal appearance and arrived in Birmingham riding a career-high rank of No. 12—and the confidence that comes from being favored in many matches.
“This is honestly what I'm working for. I want to be myself a better player, you know, to move on up the rankings and be the best I can be,” Mladenovic said. “And I was in the past always kind of the underdog, being the lower ranked player of the match facing top players and sometimes pulling an upset.
“But it's also like the process, the journey, I had tough draws. You gotta beat those top players, you gotta fight your way to the top. And yeah, you want to be the one that girls are coming kind of really no pressure, playing always their best because they know there's nothing to lose. So it's always tough in tricky matches.”
Mladenovic has reached the quarterfinals or better in eight of her last 11 tournaments and enters events expecting to go deep.
“But it's such a great feeling, and today to go get through those first matches and go deep in the events,” Mladenovic said. “It's really my motivation. I try to do well every single week to enjoy the tournaments. It's a great feeling.”
Photo credit: FFT/Roland Garros