Defending French Open champion Garbine Muguruza has done better than most fans would have thought. The Spaniard has been struggling this year, except for a few good performances, but now she is definitely set to be pushed to the limit when she goes up against home favourite Kristina Mladenovic in the fourth round.
After having three tough matches against former champion Francesca Schiavone, Anett Kontaveit and Yulia Putintseva, Muguruza now comes up against a player who has been one of the in-form players of 2017. Mladenovic's only title win came at St. Petersburg earlier this year, but the Frenchwomen has had an impressive year so far.
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She reached the final at the Madrid Open, Stuttgart and in Mexican Open and the semi-finals at the Indian Wells and based on current form, Mladenovic is expected to get past Muguruza. The hometown girl says even though her matches have been emotional and draining, she can lock in and keep playing.
"It's true that emotions are quite high at the moment. It's something I like. I think it's something I'm prepared for. It's not my first time having so many high emotions, big wins, big moments. It's something I know to work on and to handle," Tennis .com quoted Maldenovic as saying.
The Frenchwomen did not have the best of starts to the tournament but she has made up for that since then and proved that she deserves a place in this tournament. She struggled in her first round match against Jennifer Brady after she needed a medical timeout and after losing the first set she came back strong to win the match.
She defeated former runner-up Sara Errani in the second round and Shelby Rogers in the third and despite not being a 100 percent leading up to the tournament, Mladenovic's back injury has not been affecting her.
As for Muguruza, the defending champion did reach the semi-finals of the Rome Masters, which was one of her best performances leading up to the French Open, faces her toughest test yet. Muguruza might be the defending champion but Mladenovic is one of the most in-form players of 2017 so far on the WTA Tour and with the support of the crowd, the Spaniard is set to have a tough time on court today.
Like Mladenovic, Muguruza too has been nursing an injury leading up to the tournament. The Spaniard has been struggling with a neck problem but so far it has not affected her and despite being a tough draw, Muguruza fancies her chances.
"Yeah, tough draw, but I think it's also tough for her. It's gonna be exciting ... I think for the tournament, for the crowd, for us. She's obviously playing great tennis. She also had tough matches, which shows she's in a great rhythm. Looking forward to this one, Muguruza said.
The two have met each other only once -- in 2015 at Marrakech -- and it was a straight set win for Mladenovic and given the Frenchwomen's current form and her home support, she is expected to get the win today too.
Where to watch
The French Open match between Garbine Muguruza and Kristina Mladenovic is set to start tentatively at 3.30 pm local time, 7 pm IST and 2.30 pm BST.
TV and live streaming information
India: TV: Star Sports Select HD1 and Star Sports Select HD2. Live Streaming: Hotstar.
UK: TV: ITV. Live Streaming: ITV Hub.
Australia: TV: Fox Sports. Live Streaming: Foxtel.
USA: TV: Tennis TV and NBC Sports. Live Streaming: NBC Sports Live Extra.
Canada: TV: TSN1, TSN3, TSN4, TSN5. Live Streaming: TSN TV.
Middle East: TV: Bein Sports Arabia. Live Streaming: Bein Sports Connect.
Europe: TV: EuroSport. Live Streaming: EuroSport Player.
