Purge in preparation

If you’re planning to watch this match, I suggest you don’t waste any time! Frech has just beaten seeded Samsonova in a marathon match of 3 hours and 32 games. A deciding tie-break where 3 match points were needed. The Russian had two but couldn’t convert them against the defensive brick wall and resilience of the Pole, who didn’t hesitate to convert hers afterwards. In moments like this, Frech is often in her comfort zone. Very hard to beat. Ann Li had a much calmer first round, almost a formality. She took out a completely “ghost-like” Leylah Fernandez, unable to adjust her footwork or find any depth. Li just had to serve big and stay focused to let the Canadian get trapped in her own errors.

Now, the big question is: was Li really tested? There will be no Polish gifts and there will be plenty of rallies. Li serves well, but not powerfully enough to bother Frech’s return, especially after facing a big server. This is still a surface that rewards patience, and Li clearly has less of it. Luckily, there’s almost no wind forecast tomorrow to play spoiler. The H2H is in favor of the American, 4–0, but those results came when Frech was on average around the Top 150, before she broke through with her Guadalajara win in 2024. Not much of a benchmark in the end.