Tauson Beats Brady at French Open, Giron Saves Match Point in Marathon Win; La Salle Drops Men's and Women's Tennis; Georgia Tech Receives Coaching Endowments

Seventeen-year-old Clara Tauson of Denmark could have been satisfied with qualifying for the French Open this year, but the 2019 Australian Open girls champion made her main draw debut even more memorable by saving two match points against US Open semifinalist and No. 21 seed Jennifer Brady in a 6-4, 3-6, 9-7 victory.

Tauson matched Brady in the power department and neither woman dialed back on their aggressive playing style even as the stakes got higher in the third set. Brady led 4-2 in the third set, but failed to consolidate the break, and Tauson pulled even at 4-all. Serving at 5-6 Tauson went down 15-40, but then won eight of the next nine points, to find herself serving for the match at 7-6. But it was Brady's turn to step up, saving three match points with big hitting to make it 7-7, but Tauson broke to get another chance to serve it out.

It wasn't easy, as Tauson had to save a break point and couldn't convert her fourth match point, but she closed it out on her fifth, celebrating quietly with a look of disbelief on her face as she headed to the net for the racquet tap.

"We played an amazing match today, probably the highest-quality tennis I’ve ever played in my life,” Tauson told Danielle Rossingh in this article for the tournament website. “I have adjusted, and I think that I am ready to be on this level, but you still have to break into the top 100 and there is still a long way for that...and I feel good to play against those kind of players.”

Tauson will face Danielle Collins in the second round, with Collins coming back against qualifier Monica Niculescu of Romania for a 2-6, 6-2, 6-1 victory.

Marcos Giron had not won a tour-level match on clay before today, but he joined five other Americans this year in claiming a first victory at Roland Garros, beating wild card Quentin Halys of France 7-5, 3-6, 6-7(5), 7-5, 8-6 in four hours and 26 minutes.

Like Tauson, Giron faced a match point late in the deciding set, serving at 5-6, 30-40. But the 2014 NCAA singles champion saved it, broke in the next game and served out the match at love to earn just his second main draw slam victory, with the first coming earlier coming less than a month ago at the US Open.

Giron was the only US man to advance today, but the eight Americans advancing to the second round is the most since 1996. Eight American women also advanced to the second round, with Sofia Kenin and Sloane Stephens joining Collins into Tuesday's winner's circle.  

Wednesday's schedule features ten Americans; the only two who played their first round matches Monday who are not on Wednesday's schedule are Tennys Sandgren and Christina McHale. 

Former Pepperdine All-American Mayar Sherif of Egypt acquitted herself well in her first-ever slam main draw match, but she fell to No. 2 seed Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic 6-7(9), 6-2, 6-4. With Sherif's loss,  Astra Sharma(Vanderbilt) of Australia and Collins(Virginia) are the sole collegiate women in the draw. Six men remain: John Isner(Georgia), Sandgren(Tennessee), Kevin Anderson(Illinois) of South Africa, Giron(UCLA), McDonald(UCLA) and Dominik Koepfer(Tulane) of Germany.

Tuesday’s French Open first round results of Americans: 

Andrey Rublev(RUS)[13] d. Sam Querrey 67(5), 67(4), 75, 64, 63

Marcos Giron d. Quentin Halys(FRA)[WC] 75, 36, 67(5), 75, 8-6

Roberto Carballes Baena(ESP) d. Steve Johnson 61, 61, 60 

Sofia Kenin[4] d. Liudmila Samsonova(RUS) 64, 36, 63

Aryna Sabalenka(BLR)[8] d. Jessica Pegula 63, 61

Clara Tauson(DEN)[Q] d. Jennifer Brady[21] 64, 36, 97 

Danielle Collins d. Monica Niculescu(ROU)[Q] 26, 62, 61

Julia Goerges(GER) d. Alison Riske[19] 63, 67(4), 61

Jelena Ostapenko(LAT) d. Madison Brengle 62, 61

Sloane Stephens[29] d. Vitalia Diatchenko(RUS) 62, 62

Wednesday’s French Open second round matches featuring Americans:

Serena Williams[6] v Tsvetana Pironkova(BUL)

Coco Gauff v Martina Trevisan(ITA)

Bernarda Pera v Amanda Anisimova[25]

Mackenzie McDonald v Rafael Nadal(ESP)[2]

Jack Sock[Q] v Dominic Thiem(AUT)[3]

Sebastian Korda[Q] v John Isner[21]

Taylor Fritz[27] v Radu Albot(MDA)

Tommy Paul v Casper Ruud(NOR)[28]

Division I La Salle announced today that it was cutting seven sports, including men's and women's tennis, after this academic year, leaving them with 18 sponsored varsity sports. In the announcement, the private university in Philadelphia says that this "is not a cost-cutting decision," but then goes on to say its doesn't have enough money to properly fund 25 sports, so that seems more aimed at heading off fund raising efforts than anything else. 

The other sports being cut are men's swimming and diving, men's water polo, softball and volleyball. 

In better news for college tennis, Georgia Tech announced that Ken and Trish Byers, for whom the school's tennis complex is named, have endowed the men's and women's head coaching positions. For more on all the support they have provided to athletic and academic endeavors at Georgia Tech, see this announcement.