2020 Lyon
In pictures: The story of Lyon 2020
Anna-Lena Friedsam went from a first-round tweener to her first final since since 2015, while Sofia Kenin survived dramatic fluctuations in almost every round to win her fifth career title: all the best photos from the 2020 Open 6ème Sens - Métropole de Lyon.
01
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16-year-old qualifying wildcard Elsa Jacquemot, the junior World No.7, took a set lead over Lesley Pattinama Kerkhove and served for the match at 5-4 in the second set.
Photo by Harry Disy/Open 6ème Sens
02
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Qualifying fourth seed Pattinama Kerkhove eventually needed three hours and 13 minutes to quell Jacquemot 6-7(6), 7-6(3), 7-5.
Photo by Harry Disy/Open 6ème Sens
03
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Another qualifying wildcard, 22-year-old World No.321 Margot Yerolymos, pulled off the first-round upset, stunning former World No.50 Jana Cepelova 7-6(4), 6-1.
Photo by Harry Disy/Open 6ème Sens
04
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Lausanne semifinalist Tamara Korpatsch, the top seed in qualifying, quickly found herself down a set to 21-year-old Belgian Lara Salden.
Photo by Harry Disy/Open 6ème Sens
05
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Salden would drop the second set but close Korpatsch out 6-1, 2-6, 6-2 for the biggest upset of the qualifying rounds - and a maiden WTA qualifying win.
Photo by Harry Disy/Open 6ème Sens
06
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17-year-old Marta Kostyuk qualified via near-identical scorelines over Martina Di Giuseppe 6-1, 4-6, 6-1 and Lu Jia-Jing 6-1, 3-6, 6-1 to extend her winning streak to seven following a title run at the Cairo ITF W60.
Photo by Harry Disy/Open 6ème Sens
07
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Isabella Shinikova had defeated Diana Marcinkevica in the first qualifying round, and held a 3-0 head-to-head record over Irina Bara going into the second.
Photo by Harry Disy/Open 6ème Sens
08
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However, Jurmala quarterfinalist Bara overturned the head-to-head to make the main draw with a 7-6(5), 6-3 defeat of Shinikova.
Photo by Harry Disy/Open 6ème Sens
09
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Qualifying ninth seed Magdalena Frech needed a third-set tiebreak to quell Margot Yerolymos - but therein shut the wildcard out to move into the main draw 4-6, 6-1, 7-6(0).
Photo by Harry Disy/Open 6ème Sens
10
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Anastasiya Komardina qualified for her first WTA main draw since Hong Kong 2015 with wins over Natalija Kostic and Lesley Pattinama Kerkhove.
Photo by Harry Disy/Open 6ème Sens
11
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Three times a WTA champion indoors, fifth seed Alison Van Uytvanck kicked the main draw off with a straight-sets defeat of Jurmala finalist Katarzyna Kawa.
Photo by Harry Disy/Open 6ème Sens
12
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Former World No.25 Timea Babos also owns two WTA titles indoors - and roared back from 3-6, 3-5 down to force a decider against qualifier Irina Bara.
Photo by Harry Disy/Open 6ème Sens
13
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However, Bara held firm with superb defence against Babos's power to emerge a 6-3, 6-7(2), 6-4 victor after two hours and 42 minutes.
Photo by Harry Disy/Open 6ème Sens
14
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Fourth seed Alizé Cornet fell behind 0-4 to qualifier Antonia Lottner in the first round of the main draw - but the Frenchwoman delighted the home crowd as she rattled off 13 of the next 14 games for a 7-5, 6-0 win.
Photo by Harry Disy/Open 6ème Sens
15
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Third seed Caroline Garcia, a Lyon resident, was extra-motivated to score a win in front of her home town fans.
Photo by Harry Disy/Open 6ème Sens
16
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Greet Minnen, at a career high on the brink of the Top 100 at World No.103, was also motivated to score the upset, and the match went down to the wire.
Photo by Harry Disy/Open 6ème Sens
17
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Having won her own first round earlier, Alison Van Uytvanck was back on court - this time as coach to girlfriend Minnen.
Photo by Harry Disy/Open 6ème Sens
18
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Garcia was in raptures - as was the crowd - after she edged out Minnen in a 6-4, 1-6, 7-6(5) first-round thriller, the Frenchwoman's third match win of the year.
Photo by Harry Disy/Open 6ème Sens
19
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Anna-Lena Friedsam showed off her tweener skills during a straight-sets first-round win over qualifier Anastasiya Komardina.
Photo by Harry Disy/Open 6ème Sens
20
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Camila Giorgi came from a break down in the first set to end Vera Lapko's WTA Tour comeback at the first hurdle.
Photo by Alexandre Hergott/Open 6ème Sens
21
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Former junior World No.1 Clara Burel has won her first ITF W25 title in Grenoble this year and was given a wildcard, but fell to sixth seed Jil Teichmann in round one.
Photo by Alexandre Hergott/Open 6ème Sens
22
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Fellow wildcard Chloe Paquet was halfway to the first big upset of the main draw after taking the opening set 6-1 over second seed Kristina Mladenovic.
Photo by Alexandre Hergott/Open 6ème Sens
23
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Mladenovic struggled with her serve, committing 14 double faults, but was able to mount a comeback in a match of oscillating momentum.
Photo by Alexandre Hergott/Open 6ème Sens
24
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Mladenovic ultimately survived Paquet 1-6, 6-2, 6-4 to extend her record against fellow Frenchwomen to eight wins in the past nine matches.
Photo by Alexandre Hergott/Open 6ème Sens
25
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Stalwart of French tennis Pauline Parmentier extended seventh seed Daria Kasatkina to a two-hour, 26-minute battle in the first round.
Photo by Alexandre Hergott/Open 6ème Sens
26
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Former World No.10 Kasatkina was delighted to survive Parmentier 6-2, 5-7, 6-4.
Photo by Alexandre Hergott/Open 6ème Sens
27
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Bidding for her maiden WTA quarterfinal and riding a six-match winning streak after taking the title in last week's Sunderland ITF W25, Viktoriya Tomova took a set lead over Alison Van Uytvanck.
Photo by Alexandre Hergott/Open 6ème Sens
28
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However, fifth seed Van Uytvanck powered back and dominated the deciding tiebreak to defeat Tomova 3-6, 6-4, 7-6(2) in two hours and 20 minutes.
Photo by Alexandre Hergott/Open 6ème Sens
29
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Alizé Cornet had lost her last four matches against Camila Giorgi, but with a home quarterfinal at stake took a set lead over the Italian and came within two points of the win.
Photo by Alexandre Hergott/Open 6ème Sens
30
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Giorgi held firm, though, and roared back to win 4-6, 7-6(5), 6-2 for her fifth straight victory over Cornet - and her first quarterfinal berth of the season.
Photo by Alexandre Hergott/Open 6ème Sens
31
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Top seed Sofia Kenin got her campaign under way with a straight-sets defeat of Vitalia Diatchenko in the first round - the American's first Tour win since lifting her maiden Grand Slam trophy at the Australian Open.
Photo by Alexandre Hergott/Open 6ème Sens
32
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Caroline Garcia was in positive, energetic spirits during her second-round clash with Ysaline Bonaventure.
Photo by Alexandre Hergott/Open 6ème Sens
33
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Rabat quarterfinalist Bonaventure played her role in a tight first set characterized by first-strike shotmaking.
Photo by Alexandre Hergott/Open 6ème Sens
34
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However, Garcia pulled away for a 7-5, 6-2 win over Bonaventure - marking the first time she had posted consecutive victories since Mallorca last June.
Photo by Alexandre Hergott/Open 6ème Sens
35
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The final first-round match to be completed found St. Petersburg quarterfinalist Oceane Dodin continue her resurgence, winning her 10th contest in her past 11 over Mandy Minella in straight sets.
Photo by Alexandre Hergott/Open 6ème Sens
36
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Tereza Martincova was bidding to reach her first WTA quarterfinal since Gstaad 2017, and stretched eighth seed Viktoria Kuzmova into a deciding set.
Photo by Alexandre Hergott/Open 6ème Sens
37
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Kuzmova pulled through 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 in two hours and 10 minutes to reach her first quarterfinal of the season.
Photo by Alexandre Hergott/Open 6ème Sens
38
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Daria Kasatkina also swung into the last eight for the first time in 2020, dropping only five games to Irina Bara.
Photo by Alexandre Hergott/Open 6ème Sens
39
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Qualifier Jaqueline Cristian had won 11 of her past 12 matches when she came up against top seed Sofia Kenin in the second round - and looked like adding to that after saving a set point to take the first set on a tiebreak.
Photo by Alexandre Hergott/Open 6ème Sens
40
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World No.174 Cristian had scored her first Top 50 victory over Veronika Kudermetova in Fed Cup a month ago, and fine hitting saw her reach the verge of a Top 5 scalp at match point over Kenin.
Photo by Alexandre Hergott/Open 6ème Sens
41
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Australian Open champion Kenin displayed all of her dogged fighting spirit to quell Cristian, coming through a 6-7(5), 7-5, 6-4 thriller in two hours and 31 minutes.
Photo by Alexandre Hergott/Open 6ème Sens
42
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Second seed Kristina Mladenovic showed her frustration as she was broken twice in the first set by Anna-Lena Friedsam.
Photo by Alexandre Hergott/Open 6ème Sens
43
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A zoning Friedsam fired winners from all over the court to upset Mladenovic and reach her third WTA quarterfinal since returning from a second shoulder surgery last February.
Photo by Alexandre Hergott/Open 6ème Sens
44
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Daria Kasatkina’s fine run continued as she defeated Camila Giorgi over two hours and three sets.
Photo by Alexandre Hergott/Open 6ème Sens
45
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Anna-Lena Friedsam fought back from a set down to reach the semis by upsetting No.8 seed Viktoria Kuzmova.
Photo by Alexandre Hergott/Open 6ème Sens
46
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Top seed Sofia Kenin was made to fight for her place in the final four by Oceane Dodin, but the American won in three.
Photo by Alexandre Hergott/Open 6ème Sens
47
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Alison Van Uytvanck was the only player to win her quarterfinal in straight sets over Caroline Garcia - avenging girlfriend Greet Minnen's first-round loss to the home favorite.
Photo by Alexandre Hergott/Open 6ème Sens
48
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One year after returning from her second shoulder surgery and competing in her first WTA semifinal since Shenzhen 2016, Anna-Lena Friedsam took a set lead over Daria Kasatkina.
Photo by Alexandre Hergott/Open 6ème Sens
49
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Kasatkina, bidding for her first final since Moscow 2018, fought back in the second set to level the match against Friedsam.
Photo by Alexandre Hergott/Open 6ème Sens
50
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However, Friedsam would win 12 of the last 13 points to defeat Kasatkina and reach her second career WTA final, and first since Linz 2015.
Photo by Alexandre Hergott/Open 6ème Sens
51
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Alison Van Uytvanck slammed down 22 aces over the course of her semifinal against Sofia Kenin.
Photo by Alexandre Hergott/Open 6ème Sens
52
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Top seed Kenin has been demonstrating indefatigable fighting spirit all week to come through a series of dramatic scorelines, though - and did so once more against Van Uytvanck.
Photo by Alexandre Hergott/Open 6ème Sens
53
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Having saved a match point against Jaqueline Cristian, and won despite losing a 6-1, 5-2 lead against Oceane Dodin, Kenin took three tiebreaks to quell Van Uytvanck 7-6(5), 6-7(2), 7-6(2).
Photo by Alexandre Hergott/Open 6ème Sens
54
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In doubles, Laura Ioana Paar and Julia Wachaczyk had a Cinderella run to a maiden WTA title for each, upsetting top seeds Anna-Lena Friedsam and Mandy Minella in round one and beating Lesley Pattinama Kerkhove and Bibiane Schoofs 7-5, 6-4 in the final.
Photo by Alexandre Hergott/Open 6ème Sens
55
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Sofia Kenin opened the final in dominant fashion, dropping just five points on serve and breaking Anna-Lena Friedsam twice in the first set.
Photo by Alexandre Hergott/Open 6ème Sens
56
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Friedsam came roaring back from a break down in the second set, finding her range to force a deciding set.
Photo by Alexandre Hergott/Open 6ème Sens
57
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As she had all week, Kenin's ability to regroup amidst the ebbs and flows of the scoreboard was superb, and she held on to win her fourth straight three-setter this week for the title.
Photo by Alexandre Hergott/Open 6ème Sens
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