Lucie Havlickova defeats Sierra to clinch French Open 2022 junior crown
Jun 04, 2022
Paris [France], June 4 : Czech tennis player Lucie Havlickova clinched the French Open junior 2022 title after defeating Argentina's Solana Sierra in the final here on Saturday.
It took 73-minute for Havlickova to defeat Sierra by 6-3, 6-3.
Havlickova, 17, is the fifth Czech winner of the title following Renata Tomanova (1972), Regina Marsikova (1975), Hana Mandlikova (1978) and Linda Noskova (2021). Noskova qualified for this year's main draw and took Emma Raducanu to three sets in the first round.
Havlickova played a composed and efficient title match underpinned by excellent serving. A powerful forehand backed it up, and Havlickova also excelled at net, where she won the point of the match. Having been dragged forwards by a Sierra drop shot, Havlickova fended off a barrage of attempted passes before finding a winning volley to hold for 4-2 in the second set.
Sierra also impressed with several baseline winners with her back to the wall but was undone by 35 unforced errors and three loose service games. Five double faults, including two to-drop serve at the start of the second set and one facing championship point, were also a weakness.
"I feel amazing, even though I spent a million hours here on the court because I played every time three sets except today. It was very tough mentally and physically. I played a lot of three-set matches because every time something went wrong. Even in doubles, the first two matches were in super tiebreaks, so it was physically really tough. But there is a good chance to recover with the ice baths and everything. So I was well prepared, even though I spent a lot of time on the court," said Havlickova on-court interview.
"Last year I was here and I was first alternate, the first girl who hasn't got in. That was quite sad. But, well, here I am today," she added.
"It's amazing to be part of the [Czech] history, but still, it's just the beginning of something. Hoping to be bigger. Hopefully, it's gonna be better someday, better history, like maybe WTA champion or something," Havlickova said.
