Angelique Kerber has reached the quarter-finals of the French Open quietly but impressively – a fact that makes her all the more dangerous.
As an expert Lindsay Davenport brings things to the point just as unerringly as she used to on the tennis court. The former world number one is not only active in Paris as coach of Madison Keys, but also as a knowledgeable observer for the American “Tennis Channel”.
She also had a trenchant opinion about Angelique Kerber (30) before the eighth-final day of the French Open at Roland Garros Stadium: “She loves to be invisible. And then it’s all the more dangerous.” When Kerber defeated the last Frenchwoman in the tournament, 24-year-old Caroline Garcia, 6-2 and 6-3, more than confidently on Monday – except for a few trembling moments at the end – Davenport said: “The quiet quarter-finalist to be talked about”.
And indeed: Almost unnoticed, away from the hype and drama of Alexander Zverev, Germany’s front woman only made it into the last eight in Paris for the second time – at the rather unloved sand court spectacle. “I am curious to see how far the journey will go,” said the highly effective and hands-on Kieler, who now meets world number one Simona Halep in the quarter-finals.
The Romanian is once again under pressure in Paris to reinforce her exclusive position at the tennis summit with the first Grand Slam title of her career. In a direct comparison, Halep leads 5-4, the last major duel dating back to the Australian Open 2018, where the Romanian won the best tournament match in the semi-finals, the third, decisive set ended 9-7: “I keep trying to focus on myself – not on what my opponents do,” Kerber said.