Advertisement

2016 French Open: Two high-seeded players complain after losing in poor conditions

By The Sports Xchange
Simona Halep of Romania hits a shot during her third round women's match against Naomi Osaka of Japan at Roland Garros in Paris on May 27, 2016. Photo by David Silpa/UPI
1 of 2 | Simona Halep of Romania hits a shot during her third round women's match against Naomi Osaka of Japan at Roland Garros in Paris on May 27, 2016. Photo by David Silpa/UPI | License Photo

Rain ravaged the French Open for the second consecutive day on Tuesday and two high-seeded women's players sharply criticized tournament officials after their losses.

Second-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska and sixth-seeded Simona Halep both suffered fourth-round losses while playing in the poor conditions in Paris that included a slippery court and heavy tennis balls because of clay sticking to them.

Advertisement

"It's not a (lower tier) tournament. It's a Grand Slam. How can you allow players to play in the rain?" Radwanska told reporters. "I don't think they really care what we think. I think they care about other things."

Radwanska's criticisms came after Bulgaria's Tsvetana Pironkova, ranked 102nd, rolled to a 2-6, 6-3, 6-3 victory over her. The match started on Sunday before being halted and was finally completed in Tuesday's rain.

Halep didn't even win a set in her match as No. 21 Samantha Stosur of Australia posted a 7-6 (0), 6-3 victory.

"It was impossible to play, in my opinion," Halep told reporters. "No one cares about the players, in my opinion. I don't care that I lost the match today, but I was close to (getting) injured with my back."

Advertisement

Perhaps winning colors the opinion of the condition of the surface. After upsetting Radwanska to reach the French Open quarterfinals for the first time in her career, Pironkova said the conditions were "OK."

"Well, it happened before, of course. We have played in all sorts of conditions," Pironkova said. "Usually, if the court is not fit for play, like if it's slippery, they would cancel the match right away. But today the court was still hanging in. It was OK. We could have played, and so we did."

Stosur reached the French quarterfinals for the fourth time. She said the players were told to play and so they did.

"It was really tough, obviously, with the start-stop and having a day off and everything," Stosur said. "Once you're out there and it's raining, it's not so nice, but that's the way it is."

Play was halted later in the afternoon as the conditions continued to worsen.

The fourth-round match between top-ranked men's player Novak Djokovic and 14th-seeded Roberto Bautista Agut of Spain was delayed for two hours after Agut won the first set. Play was resumed and later halted with the Serbian leading 3-6, 6-4, 4-1.

Advertisement

Quarterfinal matches involving second-seeded Andy Murray of Scotland and ninth-seeded Richard Gasquet of France and defending champion and third-seeded Stan Wawrinka of Switzerland and Albert Ramos-Vinolas of Spain were moved to Wednesday.

On Monday, rain washed out an entire day at Roland Garros for the first time in 16 years.

Latest Headlines