Caroline Garcia, big favorite of the Lyon tournament which takes place on her land since the elimination of the Chinese Zhang, will play the quarter-finals on Friday, against Paolini or Andreeva. The world number 5 nevertheless suffered on Thursday against the Belgian Van Uytvanck, who had won the first set 6-2 before the Lyonnaise left her only one game left, to validate her ticket.
Since she settled down at home in the Rhône, Caroline Garcia has only dreamed of one thing: finally winning this Lyon tournament which takes place on her land and where she can count on the support of her most loyal supporters. , all devoted to his cause. The local heroine is only three victories away from adding her name to the winners of the event, which celebrates its fourth edition this year and of which she has become the immense favorite since the Chinese Shuai Zhang, holder of the title, took the door. This Thursday, Garcia offered himself the right to play in the quarter-finals after his victory against Alison Van Uytvanck in the round of 16. But the world number 5 was scared Thursday in the fourth rotation on this same court which had proved fatal a little earlier to the other Frenchman still in contention at this stage of the tournament Clara Burel, out in three sets (6 -4, 4-6, 6-3) by the Russian Anastasia Potapova, however injured during this match and who could give up after the competition. Garcia, she avoided the ax, but she got very scared against the Belgian.
Garcia wins twelve of the last thirteen games
Before leaving only one game to her opponent, the Lyonnaise, attacked from all sides in this first set and spectator of Van Uytvanck’s domination, indeed lived through hell against the 76th in the standings. On the edge of the precipice, three weeks after having already fallen from a height in Melbourne against the Polish Magda Linette when she seemed to have a highway in front of her, Garcia found this offensive game at will which had allowed her last season to achieve the year of his life, with in particular this first coronation at the Masters, and did not leave the shadow of a chance to the Belgian, nevertheless managed to take the service of the French in the last round before being made sweep again. To hope to reach the final on Friday at the expense of the Italian Paolini or the Russian Andreeva, it is this tennis that the former 4th in the world (before the Australian Open) will have to renew. Not the other. Otherwise, it is the door and a new disappointment of size that will await him.
