Françoise Abanda was all smiles after recording a successful French Open debut on Monday by beating local favorite and wildcard, Tessah Andrianjafitrimo 6-3, 6-4 in one hour, 28 minutes.
It was her first Grand Slam victory but also her last after the 195th-ranked player fell to No.11-seeded Caroline Wozniacki, in the second round, 6-0, 6-0, of the Roland Garros in Paris on Wednesday.
In both sets of her debut winning game, Abanda fell behind but made good use of her strong receiving qualities to come from 1-3 in the fifth game and push through to the main draw.
She made a break at 30 to win five straight games while serving out the rest in the first set to win, 6-3.
The second set was no different after she eventually made another crucial recovery from 3-1 on the serve in the fifth game to level it at 4-4. From there on, it clicked for the Canadian who took command of the game to finish the second and last set with ease at 6-4.
The 20-year-old Canadian’s loss was Wozniacki’s fourth WTA match win without losing a game.
Inexperience may count for the most part but Abanda who has been a member of Tennis Canada’s National Training Centre in Montreal since 2009, showed a potential of success by prevailing over unfamiliar surroundings to play some quality tennis.
With just seven tournament participations prior to Paris, there has been little racket time – no thanks to injuries – for the Cameroonian descent who started playing tennis at the age of 7, two years after her elder-by-three-years sister started playing.
Abanda has five singles match career wins and is an admirer of the Williams sisters, Venus and Serena.
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