Brazil's Beatriz Haddad Maia, ranked 14th in the WTA, makes her way as she walks. The good results of recent times were not in vain. This Wednesday he gave the blow and qualified for the semifinals of Roland Garros, after winning a complicated duel against the Tunisian Ons Jabeur (7th) by 3-6, 7-6 (7/5) and 6-1, this Wednesday in Paris. But he not only added a triumph, but also a record.
The 27-year-old became the first player from her country to reach the semifinals of a Grand Slam since Maria Esther Bueno at the 1968 U.S. Open. Precisely, Bueno had also been the last to reach that instance in Paris two years earlier.
In his best performance at the French tournament and at a Grand Slam, having so far not made it past more than two rounds in his previous eleven appearances, Haddad scored his name in history as well by becoming the first Brazilian man or woman to reach a Grand Slam semi-final since Gustavo Kuerten at Roland Garros in 2001.
The unprecedented marks do not end there: in addition, the Brazilian is the first player of the Open Era to get into the top four of Roland Garros after having won the sixteenth final, eighth final and quarterfinal after having lost the first set.
In the next round, Haddad will face the winner of the duel between world No. 1 and defending champion Iga Swiatek and American Coco Gauff (6th).
A battle to reach the semifinals
Jabeur, 28, began dominating the first set until the Brazilian found some rhythm, managing to break the serve to her rival (1-2). Little did the joy last for Haddad, who saw how the Tunisian increased her advantage to take the set in her first set point (3-6).
This is how the Tunisian Ons Jabeur said goodbye to Paris, seventh in the WTA ranking. Photo Maia REUTERS/Clodagh Kilcoyne
The second set had nothing to do with it, in which, with effort and some suffering, the Brazilian maintained enough level to complicate the duel against Jabeur. In a tug of war full of unforced errors, the two players were defending their respective serves, with the difference that, while Haddad suffered, the Tunisian took four games without giving up a point to her rival.
"
We worked very hard all year to be in these moments, so I remembered this when we were in the middle of the second set," Haddad Maia said on the Philippe-Chatrier court after the match.
The set was decided in the tie break, in which the Brazilian won 7-5. It was the boost needed by Haddad Maia, who was practically relentless in the third set, leading the score to 3-0. Finally, the Brazilian gave up a single game, sentencing the match comfortably in two hours and 29 minutes.
An award for resilience
The semi-finals of Roland Garros are a reward for Haddad Maia's resilience. Photo Thomas SAMSON / AFP
Qualifying for the semi-final at Roland Garros is a prize for perseverance for Beatriz Haddad Maia. To resilience. Years of struggle and hard work to overcome moments and situations that complicated her life and career, from injuries and surgeries to a suspension for doping, which kept her almost a year away from the courts. Nothing could with the fighting spirit of the Brazilian, who inherited the passion for this sport from her mother Lais Scaff Haddad and her grandmother, Arlette Scaff Haddad, who were successful players in their country.
Physical problems were a constant of the born in Sao Paulo since her early years on the major circuit of women's tennis. In 2013 he suffered an injury to his right shoulder due to a dislocation and also a fracture in his humerus, when he fell during a match. That led to three herniated discs, which caused very strong pain and even caused momentary paralysis in the legs. Finally, he went under the knife to fix them. And in 2015 he had to have surgery again for shoulder problems.
At the end of 2016, when she was already the best Brazilian in the world ranking and seemed ready to get into the top 100 the following year, she suffered a domestic accident – "a silly stumble", as she said – and fractured two vertebrae, so in 2017 she could only start her season in April. And in 2018, the year in which she was on the verge of entering the top 50 group, a discomfort in her left wrist, first, and an injury in the lower back, which forced her to undergo another operation, slowed her rise.
The hardest blow, the same, came in 2019, just in the best moment of his career (until then) and just a few weeks after having celebrated one of his best victories (in the debut at Wimbledon against Garbiñe Muguruza, 27th, after overcoming the qualy), the International Tennis Federation (ITF) imposed a provisional suspension for failing an anti-doping control. According to the ITF, a urine sample that Haddad Maia had given in early July at a tournament in Croatia had tested positive for two banned anabolics of the MRSA type.
Injuries to his shoulder, back, wrist, a fracture of two vertebrae and a suspension for doping complicated Haddad Maia. REUTERS Photo/Benoit Tessier
After the player's discharge and investigation, the ITF determined that the Brazilian had ingested the substances by "cross-contamination", since they were found in the analysis of the vitamin supplements that she took on medical recommendation. Thus, he had to serve a 10-month ban. On top of that, when he served his "sentence", in May 2020, the circuit was stopped by the coronavirus pandemic and he was only able to step on a court again in September of that year. It had fallen to 1,342 steps in the ranking.
"I went from heaven to hell. I was coming off the biggest win of my career, against Muguruza at Wimbledon. I was living an incredible moment in my life. It was like a punch in the stomach," he said after his return in an interview with the portal A Voz do Tenis.
Haddad overcame all obstacles and started again from scratch. With hard work and without hurrying, he was building his career again. Last year, she was finally able to inaugurate her record on the WTA Tour, when she was crowned in consecutive weeks at the WTA 250 in Nottingham and Birmingham, on the English grass. In August, she also reached the final at the WTA 1000 in Toronto and got into the top 20 for the first time. And at the start of this 2023, after making semifinals in the 500 of Abu Dhabi, he reached 12th place, his best position, so far. Because his career until the semis of Roland Garros already assured him, at least, the tenth position.
"After four surgeries it has not been easy to come back, I had very difficult moments in my career. Aside from the surgeries, I broke two bones in my back and shoulder that made me stop again. Just for the body I had six or seven parates in my career, forced to start again. In addition, I was a year out of the tour, so it was not easy to maintain the level and improve my tennis always with comings and goings, "he reflected after defeating Jabeur in Paris.
While his side celebrates, Haddad Maia can't believe he qualified for the semis of Roland Garros. AP Photo/Thibault Camus
"In Futures and Challengers there is a different level, so you need to develop your mentality to the maximum. I had to fight a lot in those moments to build my game, my team also worked very hard, that's why now these moments are coming to us. No one knows how hard we worked with my team to get here." Added.
An admirer of Guga Kuerten -who accompanied her closely and helped her during the suspension for doping-, Haddad Maia is aware of her strengths as a player and does not hesitate to point out that one of her best qualities is her head. The Brazilian never loses focus, stays focused even in the most difficult moments of the matches and never stops fighting.
"The key is to play every single point, no matter how the score goes. I always try to be positive, to think that if I feel nervous my opponent will be too. My coach sent me an interview with Novak Djokovic in which he talked about nerves. And I think if Djokovic feels nervous, who am I not to feel them? It's normal and we have to accept it, be humble and improve under pressure," he said.
He added: "A tennis match is like a marathon, never a 100m race. I think it's one of my qualities, that I expect a lot and I'm patient, I never give up, I usually wait for the moment because I know the level is high. Even when I'm not playing well, or if I'm missing some shots, I know he'll show up and tennis and I'll have a chance."
With patience and dedication, Haddad Maia managed to leave behind the hard times he lived due to injuries, physical problems and that positive doping that postponed his arrival to the elite. And so he also managed to move forward steadily and make history at Roland Garros.
With information from AFP
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