Olympia 2020: Friedsam wins, Barthel has no chance against Swiatek
While Mona Barthel had to admit defeat to Iga Swiatek at the start of the Summer Olympics in Tokyo, as expected , Anna-Lena Friedsam succeeded in achieving a first-round success.
by SID
last edit: Jul 24, 2021, 07:05 am
Anna-Lena Friedsam was the first German tennis player to overcome her opening hurdle in Tokyo. The 27-year-old Olympic debutante from Neuwied, who only recently slipped into the field as a successor, defeated the Briton Heather Watson 7: 6 (7: 5), 6: 3 on Saturday. A difficult task awaits Friedsam in the second round: She will face the Russian French Open finalist Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, who is 13th in Tokyo.
For Friedsam it was only part of a double pack on Saturday: Together with Laura Siegemund (Metzingen), the first round of the double competition against Weronika Kudermetowa / Jelena Wesnina (ROC) is on the program, the Russians last had at Wimbledon reached the finals.
Before Friedsam's opening success, Mona Barthel (Neumünster) failed with 2: 6, 2: 6 at the former French Open winner Iga Swiatek (Poland). Siegemund is still in the field as the third German single starter.