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 Photographer: Susan Mullane
Date: 01 Jun 2009 |  Photographer: Susan Mullane
Date: 01 Jun 2009 |  Photographer: Susan Mullane
Date: 01 Jun 2009 |  Photographer: Susan Mullane
Date: 01 Jun 2009 |  Photographer: Susan Mullane
Date: 01 Jun 2009 |  Photographer: Susan Mullane
Date: 01 Jun 2009 |  Photographer: Susan Mullane
Date: 01 Jun 2009 |
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| 01 Jun 2009 - Paris, France - Simon Cambers | |
| Robson through on day of upsets |
World No. 1 Laura Robson took time out from her studies to battle through to the second round of the girls’ singles event at Roland Garros on Monday.
The 15-year-old Briton, who won the Wimbledon junior title last summer and was runner-up at the Australian Open earlier this year, was made to battle hard before beating Karina Pimkina of Russia 2-6, 6-3, 6-3.
Robson has been dividing her time between preparing for her title bid in Paris and swotting up on her English skills as she revises for two GCSE exams.
“I’m either going to do them this week or next week, it depends on what the tournament schedule is,” she said. “We’ve sorted out a British school in Paris, so if I need to take them, I’ll take them there.”
Robson began slowly against the 18-year-old Pimkina, but hit back strongly, once she had figured out the right tactics.
“I knew that she trained at (Nick) Bollettieri’s (academy),” she said. “They tend to play quite similar, quite flat and quite aggressive. I tried to be a bit more consistent and a bit more intense, move my feet a bit more and that helped.”
Robson now plays Sandra Zaniewska of Poland in the second round.
There was huge disappointment, though, for world champion Noppawan Lertcheewakarn of Thailand, and No 2 seed Ana Bogdan, who both went out in the first round.
Fifth seed Lertcheewakarn, beaten by Robson in the final at Wimbledon, was beaten 6-4, 6-3 by Richel Hogenkamp of the Netherlands, revenge for her defeat by the Thai at Wimbledon.
“I thought it was a good chance for me,” the 17-year-old said. “I knew she had to win, she is the seeded one. I like it when I play against the seeded ones, I can play my own game and I have nothing to lose.”
Paris may be a top shopping destination, but Hogenkamp said that would have to wait.
“I hope I don’t have time for it this week,” she said. “(Between matches) I read a lot of books and listen to music. Just girls’ books. There are so many people here, so if you are walking around all day you get tired.”
Bogdan was upended 7-5, 6-7, 6-1 by Dutch girl Lesley Kerkhove. The Romanian looked on course when she took the second-set tiebreak 7-3 but Kerkhove bounced back to clinch a well-earned victory.
Australian Open champion Ksenia Pervak booked her place in the third round but it took a huge effort before she got the better of Fatma Al-Nabhani of Oman.
Al-Nabhani held a match point at 6-5 in the final set but third seed Pervak scrambled through 5-7, 6-1, 10-8.
Fourth seed Timea Babos joined her in round three after edging out Russian Ksenia Kirillova 6-7, 6-2, 7-5.
American 15th seed Sloane Stephens, perhaps the most in-form player coming into the event, had no such trouble, beating An-Sophie Mestach of Belgium 6-2, 6-1, to extend her winning streak to 13 matches and reach the third round.
In the boys’ event, No 2 seed Bernard Tomic continued his progress through the draw with a 7-5, 6-3 second-round win over American Alexander Domijan.
Tomic, who was given a wildcard into the main draw of the men’s event, now plays No 14 seed Dominik Schulz of Germany, a 6-2, 6-2 winner over Italian Emanuele Molina.
Third seed Andrea Collarini from Argentina joined him in the third round after a 6-1, 7-6 win over South African Nikala Scholtz, but No 4 seed Shuichi Sekiguchi of Japan was upset 4-6, 6-0, 6-3 by Finland’s Henri Laaksonen 4-6, 6-0, 6-3.
Related Articles
> Tomic off to a successful start at Roland Garros
> 2009 Roland Garros Preview
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