Hannarae closes in on fifth career main draw

Han Na-rae (Bucheon City Hall, World No. 170)’s bid for a fifth Roland Garros title came to an unfortunate end in the first round of qualifying.

Han was upset by Nao Hibino (JPN), ranked 112th in the world, 6-4 3-6 1-6 in the first round of the women’s singles qualifying event on Court 5 at Roland Garros Stadium in Paris, France on Sunday.

It was Han’s third consecutive appearance in the singles main draw, having previously qualified in 2017, 2019 and 2021.

Han got off to a shaky start, breaking her first service game in the first set, but began to take control of the match with a power advantage using her long forehand down the line.

Han’s deep, strong forehand made it difficult for Hibino to make aggressive moves inside the baseline as her errors increased. Hibino made two consecutive breaks to extend her lead to 4-1.메이저놀이터

There was a crisis when HABINO got her second break at 5-3, but she lost focus on her service game and self-destructed with her first double-fault on set point, allowing HABINO to take the first set.

In the second set, Hibino started the first game with a break, utilizing aggressive net dashes. Starting to attack at a faster tempo than in the first set, Hibino recorded her second break in the fifth game to take a 4-1 lead.

Both players were unable to protect their service game advantage and exchanged two more breaks before Hibino took the second set.

Han’s forehand went cold in the third set and Hibino’s offense came alive. Han had 14 unforced errors in the second set, but only nine in the third. Hibino’s 20 winners gave her the edge in offense and the final victory.

Tomorrow at 7 p.m. KST, Korea’s top-ranked women’s player Jang Soo-jin (Daegu City Hall, World No. 116) will compete in the qualifying round as the No. 7 seed. She will face Hungary’s Léka Lukács Yanni (World No. 154) in the first round, which will be broadcast live on tvN SPORTS.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *