Tennis player Beatriz Haddad Maia made history this Wednesday (7th), in Paris (France), by defeating Tunisian Ons Jabeur by 2 sets to 1, in an upset, in the quarterfinals of Roland Garros, one of the four main tournaments in the world circuit, the Grand Slams. It has been 55 years since a Brazilian woman reached the semifinals of a competition of this level in singles. The last one was the also from São Paulo Maria Esther Bueno, multiple champion of the modality, in the US Open of 1968. É SEMIFINAAAAAAAAAAAAL! 🎾🇺🇸Bia Haddad Maia is in the #RolandGarros semifinal SPECTACULAR victory over Ons Jabeur 🇹🇳: 2 to 1 (3/6, 7/6 and 6/1) SHE DOESN’T GET TIRED OF MAKING HISTORY! 🤩 pic.twitter.com/nJT7LOVFTZ — Time Brasil (@timebrasil) June 7, 2023 Number 14 in the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) ranking, Bia returns to the court this Thursday (8), around from 11:30 am (Brasília time), to face the Polish Iga Swiatek, current Roland Garros champion and number one in the world. This Tuesday, the European beat the North American Coco Gauff (4th) by 2 sets to 0 (6/4 and 6/2). Swiatek arrives for the duel much less worn out than Bia. After five games, the Polish still hasn’t lost sets, while the Brazilian has played four games of three sets, coming out behind in three of them. In addition, unlike her rival, the São Paulo player had two clashes in the women’s doubles bracket, being eliminated in the second round, alongside Belarusian Victoria Azarenka. This will be the second opportunity that Bia and Swiatek will face each other. Despite the better ranking of the Polish woman, the advantage belongs to the Brazilian, who won the duel last year by 2 to 1 (6/4, 3/6 and 7/5), for the round of 16 of the WTA 1000 in Toronto (Canada) . The competition, whose level is second only to the Grand Slams, was played on fast (hard) ground. On clay (clay), where the game is slower, which is the case of Roland Garros, the European usually gets her main results. This Wednesday, Bia needed 2h31min to overcome Jabeur, seventh in the world. The Brazilian lost the first set by 6/3, but reacted in the following, containing the rival’s aggressiveness to win the tie-break (best of seven points, which is disputed when the partial is tied at 6 games to 6) by 7 to 5. Excited, the woman from São Paulo controlled the third and last set, without giving the Tunisian chances, closing the game with a 6/1. The other semifinal of the women’s singles tournament pits Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka (2nd in the world) and Czech Karolina Muchova (19th). They face each other before the game between Bia and Swiatek, scheduled to start at 10 am this Thursday. The decision of the Roland Garros women’s bracket will take place this Saturday (10), at 10 am. Bia may be responsible for Brazil’s 11th Grand Slam singles title. With three conquests on the British grass at Wimbledon (1959, 1960 and 1964) and four at the US Open (1959, 1963, 1964 and 1966), Maria Esther Bueno is the main champion. Among the men, Gustavo Kuerten, Guga, took the Roland Garros cup three times (1997, 2000 and 2001). The Santa Catarina native was the last tennis player in the country in the semifinal of a competition of this level in the individual, regardless of gender.
Agência Brasil
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