“I was saying yesterday that if the first and second seeds lost, it doesn't mean the third one is going to win. It's stupid to say that.”—Agnieszka Radwanska, the No. 3 seed at Roland Garros, following her third-round loss to Ajla Tomljanovic.
Paris —Hey, that Aga, she didn’t just fall off the turnip truck.
Radwanska backed up her statement by swooning out of the French Open today, victim of a rangy, hard-serving protégée and confidant of Chris Evert. And suddenly, the top three seeds are out of a Grand Slam before the fourth round for the first time, ever.
So far in this tournament, Tomljanovic has knocked off a French Open champion (Francesca Schiavone), a low seed (No. 32 seed, Elena Vesnina), and a Wimbledon finalist who was the top seed left in the event when she walked out onto the court today. Radwanska.
The favorite had her racquets with her, but she forgot her game, showing little of her retrieving and counter-punching ability as she lost, 6-4, 6-4. “I just start too slow,” Radwanska lamented. “I was 5‑1 down, and I guess I was a little late for the first set. I was still trying, almost come back, but didn't work out well.”
It didn’t work out well because Tomljanovic kept the pressure on the entire way, showing resolve and quiet, determined confidence. Perhaps all the mentoring from that great Grand Slam champion Evert is beginning to pay off.
“That part in particular (mental toughness) I think she (Evert) was very good at — maybe the best,” Tomljanovic, a Croatian who moved to Boca Raton, Florida, to train at Evert’s eponymous academy, said. “It's kind of nice to see it from her perspective when she watches me play, to see if I'm nervous. She always thought I had good composure, but maybe thought I could be a little bit more feisty out there.”
Of course it’s easier to be feisty when your serve has atomic power, and while Tomljanovic didn’t hit the 60 percent first-serve conversion rate, she still won 30 of the 38 first serves she put into play, and fastest, 115 mph first serve was 16 mph faster than Radwanska’s best. On top of that, Tmljanovic won nine of the 13 points that lasted longer than nine hits.