PARIS (Reuters) – Russian-born Frenchwoman Varvara Gracheva rode a huge wave of support from the large partisan crowd but could not prevent a 7-5 6-2 defeat by teenager Mirra Andreeva in the French Open fourth round on Monday.
It was a disappointing end for fans on Court Suzanne Lenglen who had taken to Gracheva after she obtained French nationality last year but they also acknowledged rising Russian 17-year-old Andreeva who produced a mature display.
Andreeva breezed through the opening set and broke Gracheva early in the second but the 88th-ranked Frenchwoman raised her level in the third game and produced a huge forehand to thwart her opponent temporarily.
The joy was short-lived, however, as Andreeva hardly put a foot wrong after that with power and precision to complete the match in 91 minutes.
The usually fickle French crowd chanted Andreeva’s name and gave her a huge ovation as 23-year-old Gracheva left the court wondering what could have been.
(Reporting by Sybille de La Hamaide; Editing by Christian Radnedge)
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