Beiwen ZHANG kicks MARIN out

For her first game of the tournament, crowd’s favorite Carolina MARIN (n°5, Spain) was defeated by the American Beiwen ZHANG (n°10). World number 10 is moving forward after a great performance and 1h03 minutes spent on court (14/21 21/16 21/17).

Carolina express is boarding

Back in 2013, Carolina MARIN would have been the outsider of this first round as she had never beaten Beiwen ZHANG in two confrontations. Fortunately for the Spanish, 10 years have gone by, and she is now up to 8 straight wins against world number 10. In Paris, she can also rely on a crowd crazy about her, might as well say the odds are in her favor. She quickly confirms with an astonishing start, taking the lead 11/3, too accurate, too strong for the American who can just witness every shuttle landing on the line. ZHANG manages to give her a little wakeup call as she comes back at 14/10, decided not to fly out after 20mn spent on the court. A little push from the crowd’s favorite cheer of the year is enough for the ex-Olympic champion to take the first set under the “Ca-Ro-Li-Na!” (21/14).

Zhang stops the train …

The second set is closer as ZHANG is successfully trying to get control of the game, moving Carolina around the court. It’s enough for her to lead at the break (11/8) and keep the hope of taking MARIN to a third set. A bit of tension appears on court, but the Spanish succeed to come back in a game (16/16). Unfortunately for her and against all odds, the American wins 5 straight points to even the score (21/16).

… and goes to the next stop herself: 2nd round

On a roll, Beiwen ZHANG keeps the pressure and leads 11/7 at the break to get closer to one of the biggest surprises of this Yonex French Open first round. She plays at a breathtaking level against a Carolina who seems lost, unable to find solutions to switch the dynamic. For the first time in ten years, the American shakes MARIN’s hand as a winner. In ZHANG we trust.

Beiwen ZHANG: “I was preparing to start the game on the other side, but she chose a different side, so I needed to adjust a little bit, that’s why I was down 1-7.”

Tomorrow, Beiwen ZHANG will play for a ticket to the quarterfinals against the winner of the game PUSARLA V. Sindhu (n°11, India) vs Michelle LI (n°24, Canada).