The first Grand Slam of the season is fast approaching. Fiona Ferro, currently the world’s 164th-ranked player, began her qualifying journey to enter the main draw.
After returning to competition last week in Canberra (lost in the round of 16 against Clara Tauson), Fiona Ferro was in Melbourne for the start of the Australian Open qualifications last night. Facing Slovakian Rebecca Sramkova (27 years old, ranked 131st in the world) in this first round, the player from the French Riviera was favored before the match. This status was reinforced by her victory last July in Contrexeville against her opponent of the day.
However, it was indeed the Slovakian who took the upper hand in the first set. More combative on the return of the second serve, Sramkova managed to break the player from the French Riviera three times to win the first set (6-3).
Still, there was no panic from Fiona Ferro who quickly recovered. More aggressive on her service games, she allowed her opponent only one opportunity to make a difference. The match evened out and from her height of 1.80m, Sramkova hit aces (5 in this set). It was difficult to find a flaw, but Ferro succeeded once. Focusing on her service, the player from the Maralpine region evened the score (6-4).
Confident in the match, Fiona Ferro put pressure on Sramkova at the start of the third set. The Slovakian gradually lost her grip on the match, earning only one break point after losing her serve. Meanwhile, the French player, much more solid on her serve, left no further opportunity. Fiona Ferro concluded this third set in thirty minutes and the match in 1 hour and 46 minutes (3-6/6-4/6-1).
In the next round, she will face the young Japanese player Moyuka Uchijima (22 years old, ranked 170th in the world).ย
