Mauresmo loses in third round
PARIS – Amelie Mauresmo usually faults her mind-set after French Open failures. This time, she blamed her body for a third-round loss.
Mauresmo was unable to do what another two-time Grand Slam champion hampered by an injury, Maria Sharapova, successfully managed Saturday: deal with pain, set aside a lack of proper preparation and beat a less-experienced opponent.
The fifth-seeded Mauresmo blew a 3-0 lead in each set and lost to No. 25 Lucie Safarova of the Czech Republic 6-3, 7-6 (3), the latest in a string of early exits at Roland Garros for the Frenchwoman.
“Well, it’s disappointing,” Mauresmo said when asked where this ranks among her French Open setbacks. “As disappointing? No, because, again, coming here, this year especially, I didn’t expect really great things to happen.”
She missed more than a month after having an appendectomy in March, then struggled with a groin injury that a trainer taped up during a timeout in the first set.
Mauresmo let down the partisan fans at Court Philippe Chatrier that earlier saw Sharapova wince after some points and flex her problematic right shoulder after others. Still, the second-seeded Russian pulled out a 6-1, 6-4 victory over Alla Kudryavtseva.
“I can’t expect a lot from my shoulder,” said Sharapova, who double-faulted five times in the second set while getting broken three times in a row.
Before coming to Paris, the reigning U.S. Open champion got a cortisone shot in the shoulder and took some time off to let the joint rest.
It was a rough day for the locals, with Paul-Henri Mathieu and Olivier Patience joining Mauresmo on the way out, leaving only one French singles player of the 36 men and women who entered: No. 18 Marion Bartoli. France hasn’t fared that poorly since 1997, when it also had one woman and no men in this event’s fourth round.
Patience, a wild-card entry ranked 129th, played one of the tournament’s most exciting matches and led No. 6 Novak Djokovic before losing 7-6 (2), 2-6, 3-6, 7-6 (4), 6-3 in 4 hours, 4 minutes in front of a raucous crowd.
Djokovic was joined in the fourth round by two-time defending champion Rafael Nadal, who beat Albert Montanes of Spain 6-1, 6-3, 6-2 and figures to face more of a challenge next against Lleyton Hewitt.
Carlos Moya, who won the 1998 French Open, 35-year-old Jonas Bjorkman and No. 16 Marcos Baghdatis also advanced.
“I’m really happy that I won,” Djokovic said, “but I think he was a better player today.”
How even was it? Each won 165 points, and Patience actually won more games, then was serenaded off the court by spectators chanting his first name.
“A great experience,” Patience said.
Safarova will meet No. 9 Anna Chakvetadze of Russia for a quarterfinal berth, while Sharapova plays No. 14 Patty Schnyder of Switzerland.
Other fourth-round matchups set up include No. 3 Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia against No. 15 Shahar Peer of Israel, and No. 7 Ana Ivanovic of Serbia against No. 24 Anabel Medina Garrigues of Spain, who edged No. 12 Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia 4-6, 7-6 (2), 7-5.