Krejcikova, Vondrousova have mixed fortunes in Roland Garros second round

Marketa Vondrousova advances at Roland Garros after defeating No. 25 Magdalena Frech in three sets, while No. 15 seed Barbora Krejcikova suffers an early exit against Veornika Kudermetova. Both Czech players returned to Grand Slam level here from injury hiatuses, with Vondrousova facing Pegula next.

There were mixed fortunes for the last two Czech Wimbledon champions on Thursday at Roland Garros. Marketa Vondrousova, the 2019 Roland Garros finalist, moved into the third round at a Grand Slam tournament for the first time since Paris last year with an upset of No. 25 seed Magdalena Frech, but No. 15 seed Barbora Krejcikova -- the 2021 Roland Garros winner -- was bundled out by Veronika Kudermetova.

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Both Czechs came into this Grand Slam tournament on the back of long hiatuses due to injury. After her title defense at the All England Club ended in the first round, Vondrousova missed the second half of last year after an arm issue and shoulder surgery, and a thigh injury suffered in her comeback tournament in Adelaide in January forced her out of the Australian Open; she was also sidelined for three months since February when her shoulder problem flared up again.

Krejcikova's lingering back problem, meanwhile, meant that she started her season just last week at the Internationaux de Strasbourg, where she lost in the first round.

Though both players won their first-round matches in their first major appearance of the year -- Krejcikova against Tatjana Maria for her first win in Paris since lifting the trophy four years ago, and Vondrousova over qualifier Oksana Selekhmeteva -- their return to court for Round 2 diverged considerably. Vondrousova raced out of the gates against Frech without losing a game in the opening set, while reigning Wimbledon winner Krejcikova lost the first eight games.

Though the two-time Grand Slam winner pulled even with Kudermetova at 2-2 in the second set, she won one more game in a 6-0, 6-3 defeat. It was a rematch of the pair's titanic first-round match at SW19 last year, which Krejcikova won 7-6(4), 6-7(1), 7-5 before lifting the trophy six rounds later.

Vondrousova went on to beat Frech in three sets 6-0, 4-6, 6-3 -- saying afterwards that "if [her body] stays like this I'm very happy," as it pertains to playing through lingering pain. The left-hander, who was a Top 10 seed in Paris in 2024 and lost in the quarterfinals to Iga Swiatek, will face No. 3 seed Jessica Pegula in the third round.

Their only previous match was a famous one: a 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 win for Vondrousova in the quarterfinals two years ago, where she escaped a 4-1 third-set deficit on her way to the title.

"It's, one, nice to see her back playing," Pegula said after beating fellow American Ann Li in her own second-round match. "I know she struggled with a lot of injuries at the beginning of the year. And she's won some good matches, obviously is a finalist here. She obviously knows how to play good tennis here at Roland Garros. I think that's going to be the trickiest part for me."

"I know always tough playing a lefty on clay," Pegula added. "She's kind of got a spinny forehand. Really creative on the court and drop shots a lot. Has a pretty good serve. ... It will be interesting as the first time."

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