Vandeweghe vanquishes Siegemund for fifth time in Paris
PARIS, France - No.15 seed CoCo Vandeweghe extended her dominance over Laura Siegemund in the first round of Roland Garros with her fifth victory in as many matches, this time a tightly contested 6-4, 6-4 affair.
The pair's rivalry dates back to their ITF days in 2009, but all three of their WTA-level matches have been on clay, including a magnificent three-set tussle in the second round of Stuttgart a month ago. Ironically, given Siegemund's affinity for the surface and the American's often vocal antipathy towards it, Vandeweghe has now been able to deal with the German's hustle and flair on each occasion.
The 2017 Stuttgart champion was forced to miss last year's edition of the French Open due to a horrific knee injury suffered in Nurnberg one week prior; since her return to competition in March, she has compiled just a 3-5 record at Tour level and been forced to retire from two matches, to Kathinka Von Deichmann in Lugano and to Elise Mertens in Rabat.
Today, the 30-year-old made an error-strewn start to the match, repeatedly finding the net with her backhand as Vandeweghe broke off the bat. But this year's Stuttgart finalist was equal to the task when Siegemund began to find her groove, serving strongly and battling through four deuces to protect her lead - and then hammering down an emphatic overhead to extend it to the double break.
Some trademark Siegemund switch-ups would eventually reduce the deficit, the World No.358 bringing out a delightful lob-volley combination and cleverly alternating high, topspin-loaded returns and hard, flat bullets at her opponent's feet.
Pleasingly, as the set progressed, both players would become increasingly comfortable finding ways to finish points off at net - but as Siegemund continued to nip at Vandeweghe's heels, it was the two-time major semifinalist whose reflexes proved sharper, nailing a cross in the set's final game before booming down another unreturnable serve to seal it.
Though Vandeweghe notched up a career-best clay result in reaching the Stuttgart final in April, the 26-year-old remained vocal throughout that run about her dislike of the terre battue - and she would win just seven games combined across her next two matches in Madrid and Rome. The vulnerabilities began to show in the second set: up a break, Vandeweghe promptly double faulted three times to concede the lead, and her tally would eventually mount up to 11.
Siegemund's errors, though, had not been stemmed completely, and would ultimately total 24 - and the former World No.27 was particularly struggling behind her second serve, winning only 35% of those points. A flash of Siegemund genius with a flicked forehand pass levelled the scoreline at 3-3, but a shanked forehand gave the Zhuhai runner-up the advantage once more - and, pulling herself together, Vandeweghe blasted two breathtaking forehand winners to consolidate it this time.
There would be no further comeback: with her serving back on an even keel, the former World No.10 sealed her place in the second round here for just the third time with another service winner. Vandeweghe will attempt to go one step further for the first time against either Lesia Tsurenko or Stefanie Voegele.
