Australian Open: Barthel prevents debacle for German women
With her first round win at the Australian Open, Mona Barthel prevented a debacle for German tennis players.
by SID
last edit: Feb 09, 2021, 10:53 am
The 30-year-old from Neumünster beat the Italian Elisabetta Cocciaretto 3: 6, 6: 4, 6: 4 and was the only German player to advance. The last time there was a second round of a Grand Slam tournament at Wimbledon in 2004 without an actor from the German Tennis Association (DTB).
At the Major in Melbourne, this series goes back to 1977. Before Barthel, Angelique Kerber, Andrea Petkovic and Laura Siegemund had failed at their opening hurdles. Barthel now meets Karolina Muchova (Czech Republic / No. 25). In the men's category, only Alexander Zverev and Dominik Koepfer are in the second round.
Barthel went into the match concentrated and developed break chances. However, the Schleswig-Holstein woman could not use this for herself and in turn gave the serve to 2: 4 and ultimately also the first set. In the second round, Barthel acted more consistently and managed to equalize. The third set was highly competitive.