By Richard Pagliaro | Tuesday, June 8, 2021
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova edged her doubles partner Elena Rybakina 6-7(2), 6-2, 9-7 advancing to her first major semifinal at Roland Garros.
Photo credit: Roland Garros Facebook
Red clay streaked the back of Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova's arms and stained the back of her white dress remnants of her commitment to the cause.
Immersing herself in every point, Pavlyuchenkova played clean drives to attain a dirt dream.
More: Zidansek Battles By Badosa
Winless in six prior Grand Slam quarterfinals, Pavlyuchenkova edged her doubles partner and good friend Elena Rybakina 6-7(2), 6-2, 9-7 advancing to her first major semifinal in her 52nd Grand Slam appearance at Roland Garros.
"Very happy with the win. It was unreal match today," Pavlyuchenkova said afterward.
This was a high-octane, hard-hitting clash between buddies who have not dropped a set reaching the doubles quarterfinals together.
It is Pavlyuchenkova's 70th career victory and it comes a decade after she squandered a set and a break lead losing to reigning Roland Garros champion Francesca Schiavone in her first major quarterfinal at the French Open.
The victory vaults the former world No. 13 into a surprising semifinal against 85th-ranked Tamara Zidansek, who out-dueled Paula Badosa 7-5, 4-6, 8-6 making history as the first Slovenian to reach a Grand Slam semifinal.
Despite a combined 0-11 record in major singles and doubles quarterfinals and dropping a tense opening set, Pavlyuchenkova's perseverance paid off.
"I actually have always wanted to be in the semifinals so much before that I think I have achieved it now and I'm sort of, like, neutral reaction," Pavlyuchenkova said. "Of course I'm happy, but I feel like I'm doing my work, I'm doing my job, and there is still matches to go through, still work to be done.
"So I just look at this like that. Trying to enjoy this moment as much as I can but not giving so much importance as well right now. Just, yeah, take in the present and enjoy this moment now and then see."
The 29-year-old Russian showed strong appetite for the fight withstanding nerves and the explosive Rybakina, who swept 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams in the fourth round.
Playing with clarity under immense pressure, Pavlyuchenkova pounded out 44 winners against 28 unforced errors and doubled her doubles partner's service breaks converting 6 of 17 break-point chances.
It all added up to Pavlyuchenkova's third straight three-set win following her victories over fourth-seeded Aryna Sabalenka and former world No. 1 Victoria Azarenka.
The last time doubles partners met in the quarterfinals or later at Roland Garros was in 2000, when Mary Pierce beat Martina Hingis in the semifinals and went on to sweep singles and doubles crowns in Paris.
"I started really bad match, and, like, I'm not so happy with of course the first, second set overall, because I didn't serve well at all today," Rybakina said. "My biggest weapon was not going, and because I was thinking a lot about this, I forgot completely the tactics.
"I mean, but in the end we showed really good fight, last, third set, last few games. But, yeah, Nastia also she played really good, so, yeah."
Familiarity added another level of complexity and pressure to today's quarterfinal as the pair exchanged breaks in the fourth and seventh games as the set careened toward the tie breaker.
A fine scooped forehand down the line helped Pavlyuchenkova hold for 6-all to force the tie breaker.
Winless in four prior tie breakers this season, Rybakina ripped a forehand return right off the baseline and followed firing an inside-out forehand for 4-0. Rybakina stepped around a backhand and drove her forehand down the line earning four set points at 6-2. A kick serve down the middle sealed Rybakina's first tie break win of the season and a one-set lead after 57 minutes.
A sloppy start to the sixth game left Rybakina staring down double break point. She whipped a forehand swing volley to save the second but was handcuffed by a return to confront a third break point. Pavlyuchenkova had a good look at a second serve but spun her backhand return wide. By then, Rybakina had repelled nine of 10 break points.
Rather than showing frustration, the Russian went right back to work. Pavlyuchenkova pounded a backhand down the line for a third break point. Sliding into a lob, Pavlyuchenkova slipped and tumbled to the court. With her opponent on the ground all Rybakina needed to do was put the ball in the court to win the point, but she slapped a smash into net, perhaps distracted by her friend's fall, and dropped serve in the sixth game.
Wiping the red dirt off her white dress, Pavlyuchenkova played a tidy service game holding at 15 to confirm the break for 5-2.
Reading the wide kick serve, Pavlyuchenkova pounced pounding a backhand return winner down the line to win the second set with a loud "come on!" and force a decider after 89 minutes.
A swath of red clay stained the back of Pavlyuchenkova's dress as she continued to play clean combinations. Pavlyuchenkova pummeled a return right back through the middle, jumped on a mid-court ball and drew the error breaking for a 2-0 lead in the final set.
Rybakina responded breaking right back in the third game finally halting her slide of six straight games. Rybakina scored her second straight break when her doubles partner sailed a backhand down the line to nudge ahead 3-2.
The world No. 32 put together a two-game run to regain the lead as the final set escalated into a test of serve and nerve with the French Open rule of no tiebreaker in the final set.
Serving to extend the match, Rybakina was down love-30 as Pavlyuchenkova stood two points from the semifinals. Rybakina rallied with a gutsy hold for 7-7.
On this day, a spirited Pavlyuchenkova would not be denied her major dream. Clubbing a forehand for match point, Pavlyuchenkova booked her semifinal spot when Rybakina hit her sixth double fault ending a two hour, 33-minute battle with friends embracing at net.
Former ITF world junior champion Pavlyuchenkova will reunite with Rybakina in their doubles quarterfinal as she continues her quest for a maiden major singles final.