Charaeva realising Azarenka-inspired childhood dream as semis await
It is not long ago that Russia’s Alina Charaeva and Elsa Jacquemot of France were sat at home watching their childhood heroes playing on the clay of Paris.
Times have changed and both are now starring on those very courts and are two victories from topping the podium at the Roland Garros Junior Championships following stirring quarter-final showings.
Having already beaten world No. 1 Victoria Jimenez Kasintseva of Andorra, Charaeva continued her liking for dispatching the tournament’s seeded players by overcoming Germany’s Alexandra Vecic 6-2 6-3. An all-Russian semi-final against No. 4 Polina Kudermetova awaits.
Jacquemot, who is seeded No. 3 in the French capital, also breezed into the semi-finals courtesy of a 6-4 6-4 win against Belarusian Kristina Dmitruk and now faces a heavyweight tussle with second seed Alexandra Eala of the Philippines.
Charaeva, who has focused mainly on professional events during the past year, has never before gone beyond the quarter-final of a Junior Grand Slam, and the fact her silverware charge has come at Roland Garros is somewhat fitting.
“When I was seven years old I watched Victoria Azarenka playing Roland Garros and I was always thinking that one day I might be there – and might even have a match against her,” Charaeva told itftennis.com.
“When I watched how she played I was always thinking that her style was like my style – she is aggressive and I try to be like that. It is my dream to play like her. I played here last year and I met her. I had one picture with her and I was almost shaking.
“Being a Junior Grand Slam semi-finalist sounds so good because it was my dream from childhood to be in a semi-final, final and maybe win, especially at Roland Garros. Maybe the dream is coming true now. It’s the last steps.”
It is a similar story for Jacquemot, who has surpassed her previous best Junior Grand Slam performance, which was here last year when she reached the quarter-final only to be knocked out by eventual champion Leylah Annie Fernandez of Canada.
“I remember watching Roland Garros with my family when I was growing up, seeing the likes of [Roger] Federer, [Novak] Djokovic and Serena [Williams] play here,” Jacquemot, who finished third at the 2019 ITF Junior Finals in Chengdu, told itftennis.com.
“To be here and on the same courts where those players have played is incredible. I’m very happy. I played in the first round of the main draw last week [losing to Renata Zarazua]. It was a good experience but I was stressed and not happy with my performance.
“But I am very happy to reach the semi-finals. I have managed to stay focused throughout the tournament and now I am focused on the semi-final and staying in the moment.”
Eala set up her last-four tussle with Jacquemot courtesy of a 4-6 6-3 6-2 victory over Czech Republic’s Linda Noskova, while Kudermetova surged through the semi-finals with a 6-3 7-5 success against France’s Oceane Babel.
In the boys’ draw, there is very much a Swiss flavour within the competition’s latter stages as Dominic Stricker and Leandro Riedi – the only remaining seeded boys – both progressed to the last four.
No. 7 Stricker made light work of Austria’s Lukas Neumayer, prevailing 6-3 6-3, while Riedi recovered from a set down to overcome Argentina’s Alex Barrena 4-6 6-1 6-2. Stricker now faces Juan Bautista Torres, another Argentinian, for a place in the final, while Riedi will do battle with Guy den Ouden of the Netherlands.
“Now it is getting real and from the quarter-final onwards you’re thinking about potentially winning and saying to yourself ‘three games away’ and then ‘two games away’,” Riedi told itftennis.com.
“I am really happy but I am still trying to go match to match and not thinking much about it. But, like I say, when you’re at this stage of a big tournament you’re thinking ‘I am close’.”
Den Ouden confirmed his place in the last four with a straight-sets success over Frenchman Sean Cuenin, while it was a little trickier for Bautista Torres, who needed three sets to dispatch Lilian Marmousez.