“You have 3 down there”.
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Women’s seeds Agnieszka Radwanska and Simona Halep were trapped by the upset bug as rain played spoilsport again in the pre-quarterfinals of the Roland Garros on Tuesday.
“That’s why we sent the players back so early”.
Stosur showed great resolve in her third-round clash with Lucie Safarova, and the experienced veteran will naturally be a threat in this one.
“It was very hard with all the rain as we were waiting nearly two days to finish the match”, a beaming Pironkova said after reaching the last eight in Paris for the first time.
Australian former US Open champion Stosur, runner-up at Roland Garros in 2010, trailed 5-3 when her match with Halep was called off court due to fading light on Sunday evening.
“It was impossible to play, in my opinion”. And to play tennis matches during the rain I think it’s a bit too much. “I was close to getting injured with my back. but no one cares”.
Paris – Second seed Agnieszka Radwanska crashed out in the French Open last 16 on Tuesday after losing 2-6, 6-3, 6-3 to Tsvetana Pironkova of Bulgaria.
Organisers were criticised by some – including defeated second seed Radwanska – for allowing play to continue so long in the rain, with a frustrated Novak Djokovic dropping his first set of the tournament in the poor conditions. “I mean, it’s a grand slam. It’s a grand slam”, said Radwanska, the highest seed to exit the tournament.
It was barely better Tuesday, when they began more than an hour later than scheduled because of more rain, played for about a half-hour, then were interrupted by a 2½-hour delay before resuming again.
“I don’t think they really care what we think”.
Following a delayed start, play got under way with drizzle still falling, as organisers attempted to make up for the time lost.
It was a decision that Halep welcomed.
The sixth seed and 2014 finalist said: “I can not comment about the conditions, I have no words”.
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Stosur’s come-back victory means that she will now meet with Pironkova in the quarter-finals after the latter recovered from being a set down and a break down when play was halted on Sunday to register a memorable win on Tuesday.
Unsurprisingly, Pironkova did not think Tuesday’s conditions were unplayable, though she acknowledged they were far from ideal.
“Well, it happened before, of course”.
“So I think it’s too hard to play tennis in these conditions”. “But today the court was still hanging in. We could have played, and so we did”.
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Radwanska is trying to reach the quarterfinals for the second time in Paris as she holds a 6-2, 3-0 lead over her 102th-ranked Bulgarian rival.
