#RolandGarros #Caroline #Garcia #Kristina #Mladenovic #win #double
They returned it! As in 2016, the French couple Kristina Mladenovic and Caroline Garcia won the double at Roland-Garros 2022. On Sunday, June 5, the two players dominated the American couple Cori Gauff-Jessica Pegula after a hooked fight and three sets ( 2-6, 6-3, 6-2) on an already very hot Philippe-Chatrier court before attending the final between Rafael Nadal and Casper Ruud.
This title marks the return to the forefront of a duo that seemed destined never to play together on the pitch again. A few months after their first title at Roland-Garros, Caroline Garcia and Kristina Mladenovic also reached the US Open final, and they looked poised to largely dominate the discipline in the years to come. But a fight ended this collaboration.
🏆 DONE!!! 🇺🇸 Caroline Garcia and Kristina Mladenovic win the doubles final against Coco Gauff and Jess… https://t.co/PTJEDqUg2y
Determined to focus on her singles career, Caroline Garcia skipped most doubles tournaments and especially the Fed Cup, something her France teammates Kristina Mladenovic, Pauline Parmentier and Alizé Cornet at the top would not forgive her for. .
“I don’t know if people realize that yes, we had a great doubles career together, but outside of tennis, we never shared anything. I haven’t lost much because it’s not like she’s my best friend and she knows me all over. life. “Kristina Mladenovic wrote in 2017, in a column for the Sport360 site.
The 2019 Fed Cup as a bandage
Since then, the water has flowed under the bridges. Caroline GarcĂa has returned to the France team and the victory obtained in Australia, during the 2019 Fed Cup, ended up decongesting tensions. In singles difficulty (Kristina Mladenovic was eliminated in the first round of this Roland-Garros, Caroline Garcia in the second), the two players played the Australian Open together earlier in the year, and then Roland-Garros, where they hugged. on match point, he has undoubtedly finished convincing the general public that everything is going well between the two players.
“I am very happy to team up with Kristina again. There is no better title for us than Roland-Garros.” Caroline Garcia said upon receiving the cup. For Kristina Mladenovic, this is the fourth Porte d’Auteuil title (winner in 2019 and 2020 with Hungarian Timea Babos), she who also won two Australian Open doubles, and two Australian Open and one Wimbledon in mixed doubles. .
However, nothing was easy in this final on Sunday. As in the semifinals, the French duo started badly and suffered a severe 6-2 in the first set. But obviously much more complicit on the ground than Cori Gauff and Jessica Pegula, they immediately pressed to break from the start of the second set and took it without trembling a few minutes later (6-3).
A bright spot for the Blues
Opposite, the American couple, Cori Gauff in the lead, began to tremble. Already beaten the day before in the singles final by Iga Swiatek, the young player (18) seemed to show her age again. Two double faults in the first three points of the set ended up putting her team in trouble, who never recovered from a new break conceded at the beginning of the inning. Despite a last service game from Kristina Mladenovic that was a bit difficult, the two French women were able to rejoice with a finish from Caroline Garcia.
This victory, combined with that of Gabriel Debru among the juniors, on Saturday, brings a smile back to French tennis, which has been in dire need of results in recent months. Despite some great performances, such as LĂ©olia Jeanjean or Hugo Gaston, no tricolor has made it past the third round of singles this year at Porte d’Auteuil, be it men’s or women’s. Fortunately, Caroline Garcia and Kristina Mladenovic already have a doubles date next year.