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Melbourne, VIC, Australia, 30 Could 2025 | Matt Trollope
That is the fifth piece in our five-part collection analysing Australian tennis on clay; take a look at Half 1, Half 2, Half 3 and Half 4 right here.
As tennis transitioned to the skilled period within the final Nineteen Sixties, Australian stars had been successful huge on clay.
Ken Rosewall and Rod Laver met in back-to-back all-Aussie Roland Garros finals in 1968 and 1969, whereas three Australian ladies – Margaret Courtroom, Evonne Goolagong and Helen Gourlay – appeared in Roland Garros finals in a fruitful five-year span from 1969 to 1973.
What adopted was a relatively lean interval for Australians on clay on the highest stage, till the emergence of Pat Rafter, Mark Philippoussis and Lleyton Hewitt within the late Nineteen Nineties.
And it’s right here we start our countdown of the ten finest Aussie moments on clay previously 30 years.
1. Rafter reaches 1997 Roland Garros semifinals
This outcome got here considerably out of the blue, given Rafter’s penchant for quicker surfaces.
The Queenslander went on to win the primary of two US Open titles later that 12 months and was additionally a two-time Wimbledon finalist.
However his first actually deep run at a serious got here at Roland Garros in 1997, the place he was one among three Aussies – together with Marks Woodforde and Philippoussis – to succeed in the second week.
Rafter upset No.6 seed Richard Krajicek to arrange an all-Australian fourth-round match with Woodforde, which he gained in 4 units. He then outplayed Spaniard Galo Blanco in straight units within the quarterfinals.
Rafter was the primary Australian man to progress to the singles semifinals in Paris in 20 years, after Phil Dent in 1977.
There he took the primary set off Sergei Bruguera earlier than fading to a four-set defeat towards the two-time French champion.
2. Philippoussis clinches 1999 Davis Cup for Australia
On indoor clay in Good, the Australian Davis Cup staff scored an impressive victory over hosts France to win the storied nationwide staff competitors for the primary time in 13 years.
And Philippoussis was the participant who gained each his singles rubbers and scored the successful level.
To get to the ultimate, Australia beat Zimbabwe on indoor arduous court docket, the USA on outside arduous, and Russia at house on grass. However within the decider, they confronted a staff born and raised on clay who had the backing of a raucous French crowd.
Philippoussis gained the opening rubber in straight units over Sebastien Grosjean, earlier than Woodforde and Todd Woodbridge put the Aussies 2-1 forward with a come-from-behind victory within the doubles.
With the chance to win the tie, Philippoussis rose to the event, beating Cedric Pioline in 4 units to present Australia an unassailable 3-1 lead.
3. Woodies full profession doubles Slam at 2000 Roland Garros
By 1995 Woodbridge and Woodforde had already gained the Australian Open, Wimbledon and the US Open to place themselves three quarters of the best way to a profession Grand Slam.
By 1997 they’d already gained 5 Wimbledons as a dominant doubles duo, however French success continued to elude them after they fell within the Roland Garros ultimate that very same 12 months.
In 2000, seeded second, they lastly captured the French title, beating fellow Aussie Sandon Stolle and his Dutch associate Paul Haarhuis 7-6(7) 6-4.
Not since John Fitzgerald in 1991 had an Australian man gained the boys’s doubles title in Paris, and the earlier all-Australian duo to do it was Mark Edmondson and Kim Warwick in 1985.
4. Hewitt upsets Kuerten on house soil in 2001
Within the 2001 Davis Cup World Group, Australia travelled to face Brazil within the quarterfinals, with the house staff led by the good Gustavo Kuerten in his house city of Florianopolis.
Kuerten was a claycourt nice already, having gained the Roland Garros titles in each 1997 and 2000. About six weeks after this Davis Cup assembly, he would go on to win a 3rd.
However Lleyton Hewitt, on his least-preferred floor towards a participant he’d but to beat, put in one of many nice Davis Cup performances towards all odds.
With Australia main 2-1, Hewitt lined up towards Kuerten – who’d overwhelmed Rafter within the opening singles rubber – and beat the Brazilian in straight units.
“I really feel nearly speechless,” Hewitt mentioned. “That’s the most effective I’ve ever hit the ball and to have overwhelmed Guga in his yard in straight units in these situations with 12,000 individuals booing you is an unbelievable feeling.”
5. Stosur wins Charleston, reaches Roland Garros ultimate in 2010
Stosur’s recreation had proven monumental promise on clay together with her run to the French semifinals in 2009, and all of it got here collectively the next 12 months.
She gained the then-biggest title of her profession on the inexperienced clay courts of Charleston, thumping Vera Zvonareva in a 6-0 6-3 ultimate she describes as one among her finest ever performances.
And that momentum carried via to Paris, the place Stosur upstaged four-time champion Justine Henin, then-world No.1 Serena Williams and former world No.1 Jelena Jankovic to succeed in her first main singles ultimate.
She was the primary Australian in a Roland Garros ladies’s singles ultimate since Wendy Turnbull in 1979, and regardless of shedding to Francesca Schiavone, Stosur completed her glowing claycourt season with 20 wins from 23 matches.
6. All-Australian WTA Strasbourg ultimate in 2017
Stosur options in our countdown once more, this time for reaching the 2017 Strasbourg singles ultimate the place she got here face-to-face with compatriot Daria Gavrilova.
It was the primary time two Australian ladies had clashed in a tour-level claycourt ultimate since 1982, and stays the latest.
Stosur pipped Gavrilova in a compelling three-hour, three-set ultimate to win her second title within the French metropolis, her fourth on clay, and ninth total.
Finishing an excellent week for Australia had been Ash Barty and Casey Dellacqua, who gained the ladies’s doubles title.
7. Barty breaks via for 2019 Roland Garros title
Two years later Barty scaled far better heights on clay at Roland Garros.
Seeded eighth, she beat Jessica Pegula, Danielle Collins, Andrea Petkovic, Sofia Kenin, Madison Keys and Amanda Anisimova to succeed in her first main singles ultimate, the place she outplayed Marketa Vondrousova.
This made Barty the primary Australian singles champion at Roland Garros since Margaret Courtroom in 1973, and was the primary of Barty’s three main singles titles – all of which got here on totally different surfaces.
“That is simply unbelievable. I by no means dreamt that I’d be sitting right here with this trophy right here on the French Open,” Barty mentioned. “In the beginning of the 12 months I used to be simply anxious about falling over [on clay]. And I can efficiently say that we received to the top of the clay court docket season and I didn’t fall over as soon as.”
8. Sharma beats Jabeur to win 2021 Charleston
Sharma confirmed promise on clay when she reached her first WTA singles ultimate in Bogota in 2019.
Two years later, she went one higher on the floor.
Within the COVID-affected season in 2021, a second event was staged in Charleston at 250-level, the week after the standard 500-level occasion.
Taking part in on the identical inexperienced clay courts, Sharma – then ranked one hundred and sixty fifth – carved her approach via the draw and dropped just one set en path to the ultimate.
There awaited world No.27 and prime seed Ons Jabeur, who dominated the primary set earlier than Sharma roared again to win 2-6 7-5 6-1 – her first profession victory over a top-30 participant.
“Two years in the past in Bogota, once I was so shut, the nerves received the higher of me,” she advised wtatennis.com. “This time, I used to be much more calm and simply held my nerve very well.”
9. Ebden & Friends strike gold at Paris 2024 Olympics
Matt Ebden and John Friends had already gained Grand Slam doubles titles with separate companions, proving their credentials.
However they had been much less well-tested as a staff, having performed solely 5 occasions collectively, ever, earlier than they mixed in Paris. A primary-round loss collectively on clay in Hamburg main in was not perfect preparation, both.
But the skilled Aussies clicked on the tennis occasion staged at Roland Garros, successful 4 encounters in straight units to reach within the gold medal match.
And there, from a set and a break down towards People Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram, they turned the primary Australian Olympic tennis gold medallists for the reason that Woodies 28 years earlier at Atlanta 1996.
10. Aussie first in 2025 Monte Carlo quarterfinals
The European claycourt season started strongly for Australia when Alex de Minaur and Alexei Popyrin charged into the Monte Carlo quarterfinals.
Popyrin beat 14th seed Frances Tiafoe and upset fourth seed Casper Ruud to succeed in the final eight, the place he joined De Minaur, a 6-2 6-2 third-round winner over Daniil Medvedev.
It meant that for the primary time for the reason that ATP Masters event class was launched in 1990, Australia had two singles quarterfinalists on the identical Masters occasion on clay.
De Minaur went one higher, trouncing Grigor Dimitrov 6-0 6-0 to develop into the primary participant into the Monte Carlo semifinals since John Alexander in 1979.
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