French Open | Ankita Raina loses to 15-year-old American in qualifiers

05/22/2019

India’s hopes of having one of their representatives in the singles category of the French Open took another hit when Ankita Raina went down against 15-year-old American Cori Gauff. Raina, India’s highest singles player, lost to the 2018 girls' singles title winner in an hour and 26 minutes.

Raina started quite well against Gauff with both the players winning their respective service games until the sixth game when the American was able to break the Indian. Raina did try her best in the very next game but Gauff had to save just one break point to steer past the trouble.

Finally, Raina managed to break her opponent in the ninth game. Gauff could save only two break points before going down making the score 5-4. However, just when fans thought Raina was back in the game, she was broken in the immediate next one. She could save only break point before losing the first set 6-4.

While the players were still largely error free in the first set it was an absolute haywire in the second one. Raina looked to be able to level things after she broke Gauff in the third game and lead 3-2 till the fifth game. But, calamity struck on the sixth game where she got broken thereby letting loose madness. Raina soon broke Gauff in the seventh game and got broken on the eighth.

Gauff broke the loop by winning the ninth game before going to break Raina again in the tenth, thereby winning the second set 6-4.

Raina, who is India's highest ranked women's singles tennis player, lost the match to the American in an hour and 26 minutes.