My French Open top 10

all photos by Diane Elayne Dees

Here are my top 10 French Open occurrences, in ascending order:

10. Is it clay or mud, and is it in my eye?: The weather was a very big factor in this year's French Open--not just the rain, but the wind, which sometimes gusted at high levels. Not only was scheduling (already a disaster) made worse, but players sometimes had to compete in very difficult conditions.

9. Scheduling by Paris, consulting by Wimbledon: This was the worst scheduling most of us can recall at a major, and while Wimbledon does a much better job of scheduling in general, the trashing of the women's tour was a reflection of what has gone in London for years.

8. Keep calm and serve like crazy: Jo Konta, for several years the great British hope, hasn't had a very good season, and her record at Roland Garros has been abysmal. But this year, after making four consecutive first-round exits, Konta reached the semifinals, stunning the tennis world. She has definitely worked on clay skills, but--most significantly--she has developed a killer serve, which is a huge help on any surface. She took out the talented Donna Vekic, and she also defeated 7th seed and 2018 runner-up Sloane Stephens. She was stopped by an inspired Marketa Vondrousova in the semifinals, but what a run it was!

7. Edge of Seventeen: Granted, Amanda Anisimova is on the far edge of 17 (she'll be 18 on August 31), but she was nevertheless the youngest semifinalist at Roland Garros since Martina Hingis reached the final four in 1997. She defeated  11th seed Aryna Sabalenka (just as she did at the Australian Open, where she reached the round of 16) in the first round, she defeated Irina-Camelia Begu, and--in the quarterfinals--she took out defending champion and 3rd seed Simona Halep. Anisimova fell to eventual champion Ash Barty, but--again--what a run!

6. Don't look now, but here comes another Czech!: Petra Kvitova had to withdraw from the tournament, Karolina Pliskova was upset in the second round, but no worries--there are plenty of really good Czechs to go around. First, Katerina Siniakova upset world number 1 Naomi Osaka in the third round. But, more significantly, up-and-comer Marketa Vondrousova made it all the way to the final, and she did it without dropping a set. Vondrousova, like other top Czech players, can hit laser-like groundstrokes. But she can also find a way to mysteriously appear on almost every part of the court, as needed. Vondrousova finally dropped a set--two sets, in fact--and lost the final, in which she appeared to be a mere shadow of herself.

5. Best remix of the year: Latisha Chan and Ivan Dodig defended their 2018 title, defeating 2nd seeds Gabriela Dabrowski and Mate Pavic in straight sets in the final. Dabrowski and Pavic were the winning team's opponents in 2018, also. Chan and Dodig are the first team to win consecutive championships in the history of the French Open.

4. The Paris art scene: It was a third round match, and not one that received any particular attention, but the match played between 20th seed Elise Mertens and 12th seed Anastasija Sevastova was a thing of great beauty. Of all the matches I watched, it was easily the best. It went on for three hours and 18 minutes, and had the flavor of those two Schiavone vs. Kuznetsova matches that captivated our attention several years ago. The match were not as long, but it contained one crucial feature: At no time was there a drop in quality. Mertens and Sevastova played their hearts out, went at each other with serving, slicing, dop shots, overheads, long baseline rallies, and just plain artistry. Sevastova won, 6-7, 6-4, 11-9 (after saving five match points) and--not altogether surprisingly--was easily upset in the next round.

3. Diede De Great is now Diede De Greater: Top wheelchair seed Diede De Groot won both the singles title and the doubles title (with Aniek Van Koot). In singles, De Groot defeated two-time defending champion (and 2nd seed) Yui Kamiji. The French Open champion is now the only player of any kind to ever hold a double career slam: She completed her career slam in doubles earlier this year in Australia.

❤️ ROLAND GARROS 💥🏆😘#RG19 #heretocreate #5 pic.twitter.com/Bk9bQ3rqeB

— Kristina Mladenovic (@KikiMladenovic) June 9, 2019

2. Old friends, new title: Timea Babos and Kiki Mladenovic won the 2019 doubles title, defeating Duan Yingying and Zheng Saisai in straight sets in the final. They also won the Australian Open in 2018, and Mladenovic won the French Open with Caroline Garcia in 2016. As of tomorrow, Mladenovic is the number 1 doubles player in the world.

Looking good, champ! @ashbar96 out and about with her @rolandgarros trophy on Sunday pic.twitter.com/8NPAhzEhMR

— Jimmie48 Photography (@JJlovesTennis) June 9, 2019

1. Barty breaks through: It was only a matter of time before Ash Barty won a major, but not many expected her to make her breakthrough in Paris. But the Australian star is not exactly conventional insofar as her career route is concerned, so maybe we shouldn't have been too surprised to see her lift the Coupe Suzanne Lenglen. Her performance throughout the tournament was smooth and steady, and she kept her cool through the many long, rainy, windy hours. The final should have been very exciting--Marketa Vondrousova was on fire in Paris--but the Czech player just wasn't up to the occasion (she says it wasn't nerves, but I just can't bring myself to believe that). Barty, however, was more than up to it, and defeated Vondrousova 6-1, 6-3 in the final. An outstanding player in both singles and doubles, Barty is now on threat on every surface.

Aussie Aussie Aussie!--Oui Oui Oui!

Your 2019 @rolandgarros champ (and World No.2 on Monday!): @ashbar96 ! pic.twitter.com/kiRriSfPVe

— Jimmie48 Photography (@JJlovesTennis) June 8, 2019

Today, Ash Barty played an almost flawless match to win the 2019 French Open. The Australian star--long known as a standout in doubles--has been on the cusp of winning a huge singles trophy for a while. In fact, it appeared inevitable, though most observers would not have guessed that she would start by winning in Paris. I didn't think she would win today, but I wasn't expecting her opponent to go to pieces mentally, either.

What I was expecting was a thrilling, three-set match from which Marketa Vondrousova would emerge the winner. What we got was a very sub-par Vondrousova and a next-to-perfect Barty.

When Barty easily won the first set, I thought about Vondrousova's "Comeback Queen" title that she had earned during her two weeks in Paris. She had to come from behind over and over, and I wondered if she would do it again today. During the second set, she pulled herself together and picked up her game, seeming to go into Comeback Queen mode.

But Barty was having none of it, and Vondrousova never fully transformed herself into the player who had confounded opponents by seemingly being everywhere on the court at once and hitting laser-like shots into corners.

We’ll definetely see lots more of these in Grand Slam finals in the future. What a fortnight for both of them! pic.twitter.com/qxFh0U1oaV

— Jimmie48 Photography (@JJlovesTennis) June 8, 2019

 

Ash Barty is an athlete's athlete. Her movement appears effortless, her focus is always steady, and she remains calm at all times. Also, her considerable doubles skills serve her quite well in singles competition.

Barty broke Vondrousova five times and was broken only once. She had rather interesting first and second serve win percentages of 62 and 76, and she was successful at the net in 15 of her 20 attempts. She got the 6-1, 6-3 victory in an hour and ten minutes.

As for the very talented Vondrousova--it's a shame that she (quite obviously) let the occasion get to her. (On the other hand, she is a lefty Czech, so we may have to exercise some patience.)

Barty was always going to be a threat at Wimbledon, and now that she has won a major--with all the confidence that that brings--she's more of a threat than ever.

An Aussie and a Czech--one of them will be the 2019 French Open champion

Marketa Vondrousova is into the @rolandgarros final!

She sets up a Barty battle with a 7-5, 7-6(2) win over Konta--> https://t.co/PJQ22jUgz8 pic.twitter.com/Z0IdH8fkMO

— WTA (@WTA) June 7, 2019

I wasn't exactly awake, so it was easy for me to imagine that the Anisimova-Barty semifinal match was a confusing dream. But no, Ash Barty really did go up 5-0 in the first set. And she really did lose the set. And after losing that set 6-7, the Australian star turned on a switch that caught fire while--on the other side of the net--Anisimova's own motor wound down.

The 17-year-old, who had played so brilliantly throughout the French Open--not dropping a set through the quarterfinals--was visibly struggling, though some of that may have been mental. Barty won the match 6-7, 6-3, 6-3. She was especially dominant in the third set, when Asinimova was making the kind of errors that almost cost her the opening set.

.@ashbar96 is through to the @rolandgarros final!

She knocks out Anisimova, 6-7(4), 6-3, 6-3 to advance to her first Grand Slam singles final--> https://t.co/LFnToo4lat pic.twitter.com/XsJfsG9ToJ

— WTA (@WTA) June 7, 2019

 

Meanwhile, the teenage contingent scored a big one when Marketa Vondrousova defeated Jo Konta 7-5, 7-6 in the other semifinal. Konta, whose serve has been an outstanding feature of the French Open this year, served well, but could not find the serving brilliance that had taken her to the semifinals. That made it a bit easier for Vondrousova to challenge the British star, and challenge her she did.

19yrs old Vondroušová is in #RG19 final without losing a set, beating both players she lost on clay this year in the process (Martic - Istanbul F, Konta - Rome QF). While having 2-0 H2H against last two #RG19 champions (Halep, Ostapenko) this year. Take a bow.

— Rookie Pundit (@Rookie_Pundit) June 7, 2019

 

Vondrousova has operated under the radar throughout the tournament. Even her teen credentials (she's 19) were outshone by Anisimova's youth. For that matter, Vondrousova has operated under the radar throughout the season, and it appears to have served her well. The young Czech lefty (those two words go together so well!) owns an arsenal of shots that can wreak havoc on any opponent. Her performance during today's second set tiebreak was, at times, breathtaking, and culminated with a drop shot on match point.

I should add that Vondrousova has had successive come-from-behind moments at this French Open, and she has remained calm and steady through all of them, finding ways to win either a set or a match, even though she was behind in the score. The Czech player has yet to drop a set.

This is, I think, going to be a delicious final. Both players are keen shot-makers, both are good strategists, and both are mentally strong. Barty has never considered herself a clay court player, but she probably does now. The truth is, Ash Barty is brilliant on every surface.

Here are the players' paths to the final:

ASHLEIGH BARTY (8) 
round 1--def. Jessica Pegula
round 2--def. Danielle Collins
round 3--def. Andrea Petkovic
round of 16--def. Sonya Kenin
quarterfinals--def. Madison Keys (14)
semifinals--def. Amanda Anisimova

MARKETA VONDROUSOVA
round 1--def. Wang Yafan
round 2--def. Anastasia Potapova
round 3--def. Carla Suarez Navarro (28)
round of 16--def. Anastasia Sevastova (12)
quarterfinals--def. Petra Martic (31)
semifinals--def. Jo Konta (26)

Meanwhile, for the second year in a row, Latisha Chan and Ivan Dodig have won the mixed doubles title. In the final, they defeated Gabriela Dabrowski and Mate Pavic 6-1, 7-6.

And in doubles, the final is set: 2nd seeds Timea Babos and Kiki Mladenovic will face off against Duan Yingying and Zheng Saisai. In the semifinals, Babos and Mladenovic defeated 6th seeds Elise Mertens and Aryna Sabalenka 6-2, 6-1. Duan and Zheng defeated 15th seeds Kirsten Flipkens and Johanna Larsson.

In wheelchair singles competition, it's 2018 all over again: 2nd seed and defending champion Yui Kamiji will compete against top seed and 2018 runner-up Diede DeGroot in the final. In the semifinals, Kamiji defeated Marjolein Buis, and DeGroot defeated Aniek Van Koot.

The fascinating final four

🇺🇸🇺🇸

17yo Amanda Anisimova is the youngest American woman to reach a Slam semifinal since 1997 US Open (Venus Williams, R-Up) and the youngest American woman to reach @rolandgarros semifinal since 1990 (Jennifer Capriati, SF). #RG19 pic.twitter.com/YfS5Vr5v3z

— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) June 6, 2019

Many years ago, a cute teenager with pigtails came on the scene and, for a while, made the great Chris Evert's tennis life miserable. Evert would later say of Tracy Austin: "I looked across the net, and I saw myself."

I thought of that this morning when I watched Amanda Anisimova work her geometrics on the court, all the while hitting laser-like shots into the corners--against Simona Halep. The 17-year-old, inspired by the 2018 French Open champion's backhand, has developed a backhand worthy of that inspiration, and today, she used it to take Halep out of the tournament. For a while in the second set, Halep appeared to be taking the contest into her own hands, and one couldn't help but suspect that the correlating activity--the inexperienced opponent would fade just as Halep staged her comeback--would occur.

But it didn't. Anisimova, faced with a resurgent Halep, brushed herself off and went at Halep again, this time sealing the match at 6-2, 6-4. As impressive as Anisimova's game was, even more impressive was that she stood on Court Philippe Chatrier....against the defending champion....in the quarterfinals--and she closed the match.

The teen's opponent in the semifinals will be Ash Barty, who won her quarterfinal against Madison Keys, also in straight sets. Anisimova will have her hands full as she goes against both Barty's athleticism and her impressive adaptability on the court. It is now clear that the Australian is a threat on all surfaces.

Laugh it out...

😄#RG19 pic.twitter.com/FdaOaBPDBG

— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) June 4, 2019

 

The other semifinal will feature Marketa Vondrousova and Jo Konta. Vondrousova's quarterfinal against Petra Martic was a splendid match to watch. Martic entered that match with a 4-0 record against the young Czech, but her history wasn't quite enough to take her over the line; Vondrousova defeated her 7-6, 7-5. This had to be a heartbreaker for Martic fans, and those who so wanted the best for her, after the injury woes she's had. (I was cheering for her, myself; she's a sentimental favorite of mine, and I've always enjoyed her game.) Vondrousova's rise has been dramatic, and will undoubtedly continue.

And then there is Konta, who--since her slump--has turned herself into a serving machine. Why more players don't do this is beyond me. Konta has always had the skills to play high-level tennis, but now she can exert so much more control. She thumped Sloane Stephens (last year's runner-up) off the court, 6-1, 6-4 in an hour and eleven minutes. Konta had first and second serve win percentages of 86 and 50, she hit 25 winners, and made thirteen unforced errors. It doesn't get much better than that.

Of the four semifinalists, only Barty, the eighth seed, is in the top 10. Konta is seeded number 26, and both Anisimova and Vondrousova are unseeded. It was only two years ago that an unseeded player, Alona Ostapenko, won the French Open.

The ones who almost won the French Open

Many times, a player is a finalist at a major one year, and then, in a year or two (or more), she becomes the champion. But not all runners-up ever get to hold the bigger trophy. Here are some French Open finalists from the last 25 years who had to be content with their runner-up trophies:

Martina Hingis
Most fans assumed that Hingis would win at Roland Garros at some point, and in 1997, having already won the Australian Open, she was the top seed in Paris. Hingis knocked off Aranxta Sanchez Vicario and Monica Seles, but was stopped in the final by Iva Majoli. She would go on to win Wimbledon and the U.S. Open, but Majoli stopped her from winning the Grand Slam. Two years later, Hingis beat defending champion Sanchez Vicario in the semifinals, but lost the final to Steffi Graf.

Conchita Martinez
Also expected by many to win the French Open, Martinez reached the final in 2000, only to lose to Mary Pierce. Martinez won only one major, Wimbledon (1994), the last one she was ever expected to win.

Kim Clijsters

Clijsters lost a heartbreaking final to Jennifer Capriati in 2001. Capriati defeated her 1-6, 6-4, 12-10. The Belgian star would get another shot at the title in 2003, but she lost again, this time to countrywoman and rival Justine Henin, who won the first set 6-0.

Venus Williams
Venus was a French Open finalist only once, in 2002, and she lost the final to her sister, Serena.

Elena Demetieva
In 2004, Anastasia Myskina won her only major, defeating countrywoman Dementieva 6-1, 6-2 in the final. This was the breakthrough year for Russia; Maria Sharapova won Wimbledon and Svetlana Kuznetsova won the U.S. Open.

Dinara Safina
This Russian had two chances, but couldn't capitalize on either. In 2008, she lost to Ana Ivanovic, and in 2009, she lost to countrywoman Kuznetsova.

Samantha Stosur
Stosur did a lot of heavy lifting in the 2010 event: She took out Simona Halep, Justine Henin, Serena Williams, and Jelena Jankovic. It was a brilliant run--until the Australian met the deeply inspired Francesca Schiavone in the final. Schiavone, in one of the most riveting French Open finals ever played, defeated Stosur 6-4, 7-6.

Sara Errani
One of the four Fighting Italians of her era, Errani lost to Maria Sharapova in the 2012 final.

Lucie Safarova
Safarova made it to the final in 2015 by going crazy on all kinds of opponents. She took out Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, two-time champion Maria Sharapova, soon-to-be champion Garbine Muguruza, and former champion Ivanovic. But she couldn't keep her amazing run going all the way; she lost to Serena Williams in the three-set final.

Of all of the above "almost won" French Open finalists, four--Dementieva, Safina, Errani, and Safarova--did not win any majors. The 2018 runner-up, Sloane Stephens, is still standing at the 2019 French Open.

Two former French Open champions still standing as 3rd round is completed

.@K_Siniakova takes the battle of No. 1s!

The top-ranked doubles player takes out singles World No. 1 Osaka, 6-4, 6-2 in the @rolandgarros third round--> https://t.co/JXPNdQQE1D pic.twitter.com/BtiFgjbyei

— WTA (@WTA) June 1, 2019

Five former champions entered the 2019 French Open, but--as of today--only two remain. Those two are 2018 champion (and 2017 runner-up) Simona Halep, and 2016 champion Garbine Muguruza.

Before today, 2009 champion Svetlana Kuznetsova and 2017 champion Alona Ostapenko had already been eliminated from competition. Today, it was Serena Williams, who won the event in 2002, 2013 and 2015. Williams was defeated in straight sets by countrywoman Sonya Kenin, who--though unpolished--clearly has the ability to pull off this kind of upset.

But three-time champion Williams wasn't the only one to make an exit today. Katerina Siniakova took out world number 1 Naomi Osaka in straight sets. Siniakova's doubles career isn't going too well this season (despite the fact that she's part of the world number 1 team), but her singles career got a big pick-me-up today in Paris.

Here is the round of 16 draw:

Katerina Siniakova vs. Madison Keys (14): Keys had to fight to get past her third round opponent, and she'll have to fight to get past Siniakova. Skills-wise, Keys has everything it takes to advance to the quarterfinals, but if she gets into one of her inconsistent patches, Siniakova won't be shy about exploiting it.

Sonya Kenin vs. Ash Barty (8): Can Kenin pull off another huge upset? Barty, who has turned out to be somewhat of a revelation on clay (is there anything the Australian can't do?) will be a very tough customer for her.

Simona Halep (3) vs. Iga Swiatek: The defending champion probably never thought that Swiatek would be her opponent during the business end of the tournament. However, the young (she became 18 yesterday) Polish player won the girls' singles title last year at Wimbledon and the girls' doubles title at the French Open, also last year.  She's played in seven ITF finals and has won all of them. She is, in other words, quite the competitor. My best guess is that she won't be too rattled by having to play Halep in the fourth round, and that she'll make an impression on fans.

Amanda Anisimova vs. Aliona Bolsova (Q): This should be good. Bolsova has already knocked out the likes of Timea Babos, Sorana Cirstea andVera Zvonareva. 17-year-old Anisimova, for her part, has defeated 11th seed Arnya Sabalenka and Irina-Camelia Begu. If there's a "popcorn match," this may be it.

Sloane Stephens (7) vs. Garbine Muguruza (19): This is the match to watch--the former champion vs. last year's runner-up. One never knows what to expect from Stephens, but--so far--her casual elegance on the tennis court has paid off in Paris. They are both such smooth hitters, and when they're at their best, they both make it look so easy. They have played each other only twice, both times were on hard courts, and they are 1-1 against each other. Muguruza is even more mercurial than Stephens, so--in my opinion--it doesn't do much good to try to figure out what will happen.

Donna Vekic (23) vs. Jo Konta (26): Konta has been a total surprise on clay this season; Vekic, not so much. Vekic--who has finally begun to lean into her considerable potential--has already defeated 15th seed Belinda Bencic.

Marketa Vondrousova vs. Anastaija Sevastova (12): When Sevastova has her head about her, she's tough to beat on clay. Assuming she continues to have her head about her, it will be hard for the young Czech to get past her. Vondrousova, however, is pretty clever in her own right.

Kaia Kanepi vs. Petra Martic (31): Kanepi can into a zone and use her big hitting to upset a lot of higher-ranked players, but Martic is very much at home on a clay court and is likely to be too much for Kanepi to handle.

Everyhing feels crazy, and yes--it's the French Open

Whatever it takes 💪

📷 @GettyImages pic.twitter.com/8jL0uBlXUA

— Simona Halep (@Simona_Halep) May 30, 2019

I love the French Open. It's in Paris, and it's played on clay courts. What's not to like, other than the official app? The French Open is my favorite major because I like to watch players compete on clay, which is somewhat of a neutralizer and therefore encourages more creative players to shine.

I always expect the unexpected at Roland Garros, and I always get it. Unfortunately, this year, some of the unexpected involves injury and illness, and that's never a good thing. I'm especially sad that Petra Kvitova and Maria Sharapova had to withdraw, and that Kiki Bertens had to retire because of what sounds like a wicked viral illness (or food poisoning). I picked Bertens as the most likely player to win the event.

So we lost Maria, Petra and Kiki, and we also lost Caroline Wozniacki, Bianca Andreescu, 2017 champion Alona Ostapenko, and Bethanie Mattek-Sands. Angie Kerber, recently injured, went out in the first round.

No.2 seed gone!

What else has happened at Roland-Garros today 👉 https://t.co/9dHXWQMbj4#RG19 pic.twitter.com/ibCkgnjvzZ

— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) May 31, 2019

 

But even with the injuries and Bertens' illness (still the biggest shock, for me), there's already a lot of shaking up of the draw. Today, 2nd seed and Rome champion Karolina Pliskova was upset in the third round by Petra Martic. Martic, back from her own injury woes and better than ever, can beat almost anyone on clay on a given day, and she eliminated Pliskova in straight sets.

Both of the French hopes--a back-on-track Kiki Mladenovic and Caroline Garcia--are gone. 

Hsieh Su-Wei is gone, as are Maria Sakkari, Dasha Kasatkina, Aryna Sabalenka, Elise Mertens, Belinda Bencic, and Elina Svitolina. Still standing are defending champion Simona Halep, world number 1 Naomi Osaka, 2016 champion Garbine Muguruza (def. Svitolina), 2018 runner-up Sloane Stephens, Anastasija Sevastova, Madison Keys, Ash Barty, and Serena Williams.

Tomorrow, the third round will be completed. Halep will face Lesia Tsurenko, who had to fight for over three hours in a two-day span to defeat Aleks Krunic 5-7, 7-5, 11-9. Williams will face countrywoman Sonya Kenin, and Osaka will compete against Katerina Siniakova, who upset Sakkari.

And speaking of Siniakova--she and partner Barbora Krejcikova, the top doubles seeds, were upset in the first round, making their 2019 season even more miserable than it already was. At this point, I'll be surprised if this team holds together much longer.

Lucie Safarova retires, and tennis will be a little less delightful for it

An emotional @luciesafarova is given the perfect send-off by her team-mates and the Czech fans 🇨🇿#FedCup #CZECAN pic.twitter.com/ypCCgQb1Gp

— Fed Cup (@FedCup) April 21, 2019

Lucie Safarova--former stalwart of the mighty Czech Fed Cup team, former French Open finalist, and elite doubles competitor--was supposed to retire from professional tennis after the Australian Open. Unfortunately, tendonitis in her wrist forced the Czech veteran to withdraw from the season's first major, and so she wrapped up her career by playing in one last Fed Cup tie, then competing in Prague, where she was given a lovely send-off.

She still wasn’t quite finished, though, but neither was her bad luck. Safarova entered the 2019 French Open in doubles, but her long-time doubles partner, Bethanie Mattek-Sands, had to withdraw. Safarova teamed with Dominika Cibulkova, and they lost in the first round, ending the Czech’s celebrated career.

Safarova, whose laidback “Coffee with Lucie” persona made her a fan favorite, was at her best when she took her lefty game to the clay courts. She reached her first major semifinal, however, at Wimbledon in 2014. She was defeated in that match by eventual champion and countrywoman Petra Kvitova.

The next year, Safarova reached the final of the French Open. On her way, she took out notable clay player Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, two-time French Open champion Maria Sharapova, Garbine Muguruza (who would win the event in 2016), and 2008 French Open champion Ana Ivanovic. Safarova then lost to Serena Williams in the three-set final.

Also in 2015, the Czech star entered the singles top 5 for the first time in her career. Unfortunately—just as her singles career was peaking—Safarova contracted a serious bacterial infection which kept her off the court for a long time. Even more unfortunate, Safarova developed reactive arthritis as a result of having the infection. Her illness and its complications kept her out of the 2016 Australian season.

As notable a singles player as Safarova was, she was a superstar in doubles. During a period between 2015 and 2017, she and Bethanie Mattek-Sands won five majors—two Australian Opens, two French Opens and one U.S. Open.

Safarova won seven singles titles and 15 doubles titles. She was a stand-out member of the six-time champion Czech Fed Cup team for a total of 13 years, and she was on the Czech Olympic team in 2008, 2012 and 2016. In 2016, she and Barbora Strycova won an Olympic bronze medal in doubles.

Safarova’s 17-year career would probably have gone on were it not for health and injury concerns. It was, nevertheless, a long and very fruitful career. Both Safarova and her friend and doubles partner, Mattek-Sands, have struggled mightily with physical setbacks, yet they still managed to win five majors and six other titles.

Safarova made her mark not only as a dangerous lefty and an elite doubles champion, but also as a personable and good-humored sportswoman. The chemistry between her and Mattek-Sands made them an especially dynamic team, and fans will miss them. I imagine just about everyone will miss Lucie, who leaves behind a legacy of hard work, impressive results, and graceful strength.