Qualifying complete at the 2015 Internationaux de Strasbourg

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Wilson Blade 9

After yesterday’s cold & rain-soaked start into the 2015 Internationaux de Strasbourg, the weather improved overnight and the second day of qualifying at the French clay classic was blessed by warmer temperatures and occasional sunshine.

The weather cleared up right in time for the arrival of Jelena Jankovic, the Serbian former world #1 who has made her return to Strasbourg by taking up a wildcard into the event. Jankovic last played Strasbourg in 2007 when the tournament was held at a different venue, so long ago that the Serbian needed to be remembered by the tournament media staff on her former accomplishments in Strasbourg.

Following her chat with the media, Jankovic went straight to the practice courts for an extended practice session with Mirjana Lucic-Baroni, joining several other main-draw players in their preparation for the start of the tournament, among them Alize Cornet, Madison Keys & Alison Riske.

While the main draw players were able to focus on preparing for their first-round matches, the qualifiers still had to fight for their ticket into the tournament. Two players had a particularly long way to go on Saturday, as both Gabriela Dabrowski & Su-Wie Hsieh had to play two singles matches due to their first-round match being postponed because of the rain yesterday.

The effort paid off for both players as Dabrowski qualified by beating both Irina Ramialison & Katarzyna Piter, while Su-Wei Hsieh edged out two French youngsters on her way into the main draw. France’s Sarah Finck didn’t stand much of a chance against the Taiwanese player, while Oceane Dodin, backed by the local crowd, had two set points in the second after dropping the first set, but unfortunately for both the young Frenchwoman and the fans on site, Dodin wasted both chances, handing Hsieh her second win of the day.

Dodin’s loss sealed the disappointing fate of the local players as none of the French girls that attempted to qualify will join French players Alize Cornet & Pauline Parmentier in the main draw. The first half of the tournament’s first round will kick off tomorrow as the 2015 Internationaux de Strasbourg picks up pace with just one week to go until Roland Garros!

6 COMMENTS

  1. How come so many of the qualifiers seem to be wearing older adidas or Stella McCartney? They all look nice, I gotta say!

  2. Ga, brands release new outfits every one to three months, in order to stay current and attract buyers, but that doesn’t mean that old stuff is not beautiful anymore. Many qualifiers do look awesome, even though they’re not wearing the latest clothes. By the way, look at Oceane Dodin with this yellow Nike arm sleeve. She seems to be aiming for a place among tennis fashionistas! 😉

  3. It’s nice to see all the old stuff again, that way it’s not too monotonous
    LOL, well maybe Oceane will inspire some designer to make Ivanovic’s outfit for the French open next year 😉 or, Bethanie Mattek Sands will start wearing it

  4. Ga, sure, designers could definitely find inspiration in Oceane’s Strasbourg look. And when I saw that fashion/performance detail, I first thought how it resemble’s Bethanie’s style 🙂

    Plus, even though she lost in the qualifying, Oceane got a lucky loser entry, so we’ll see more of her fashion 😉

  5. Why does Oceane wear a fishnet arm sleeve?
    I understand the long sleeve of Hingis and Raonic, but does this have a certain function?? (I love the colors btw)

  6. Liz, this one in particular seems to be only for running, for higher visibility at night and early morning. Maybe it has some function for Oceane, but I doubt.

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