Caroline Garcia on a Happiness Walk.
And the history of tricolor tennis.
Third Frenchwoman to reach this stage of the prestigious end-of-season event, she may become the second to add her name to the list, after Amélie Mauresmo, crowned at the expense of Mary Pierce in 2005, during a 100% tricolor final.
It's going to hit tonight in France (from 3 a.m.) between two players with heavy strikes who are looking to impose their game. The Frenchman goes up much more to the net than her opponent.
Two players playing the most important match of their careers.
Sabalenka, 24, 11 WTA titles, like Garcia, has never reached a Grand Slam final.
She has the opportunity to win the 11th trophy of her career.
At 29, the native of Saint-Germain-en-Laye is having the best season of her career and is aiming for a fourth title in 2022, the 11th of her career, the best too.
She has already done better than during her first participation in 2017, when she lost in the semi-finals to American Venus Williams.
Read alsoWTA Masters: "It's just fun" rejoices Garcia after getting his ticket in the final
After a setback with three defeats in four matches at the beginning of the fall, she confirmed in Texas her rich summer revival of three titles (Bad Homburg, Warsaw, Cincinnati) and a semi-final at the US Open.
Rising from 75th place to the top 5 in the world, which she will join at the end of the tournament, she will equal the best ranking of her career (4th in the summer of 2018), if she wins tonight.
If the record is two victories everywhere between the two finalists, Garcia won their last two duels, including the semi-final of the WTA 1000 in Cincinnati in August (6-2, 4-6, 6-1).
Sabalenka, surprise faller of the best player in the world Iga Swiatek (2-6, 6-2, 6-1), is logically wary of Garcia.
"I think she's a totally different player now than she was at the start of the season.
You can see when she competes that she has a lot more confidence in herself and her game."
Read alsoTennis: Caroline Garcia, the year of renewal
Caroline Garcia slips on her side: “
Aryna is a very powerful player with a huge serve, a huge forehand... She always shows a lot of emotion on the court, going for her shots.
I'll have to put pressure on her
".
The one who has already beaten eight top 10 since the start of the season, can legitimately believe in her chances.
After the unexpected departure of her coach Bertrand Perret, the Lyonnaise nevertheless approached the tournament with questions.
They have been lifted.
In total relaxation on Sunday evening against Maria Sakkari, swept away 6-3, 6-2, the Lyonnaise had her most successful match of the tournament.
Above all, she did not show any signs of fatigue after her 2:27 fight the day before against the Russian Daria Kasatkina.
The service, his lethal weapon, is once again running at full speed.
She increased her number of aces to 383 this season.
No one has done better on the circuit.
She has already served 14 without Texas.
For her part, Sabalenka sometimes experiences acute crises of double faults (she is at 425 this season, including 27 at the Masters)…