Third seed Paula Badosa made quick work of French wildcard Fiona Ferro by winning 6-2 6-0 in under an hour to book a spot in the second round of the French Open on Tuesday and boost her confidence following a dip in form earlier this month.
The Spaniard, who had cited mental fatigue as one of the reasons for early exits in Rome and Madrid this month, required just 54 minutes for her opening win.
She looked in top form as she chased the 25-year-old Ferro across the court with her trademark thundering groundstrokes but said she had felt pressure even though it did not show.
The world number four next faces Slovenia’s world number 68 Kaja Juvan.
“Every minute on court counts, and every win counts, and it helps you build your confidence again,” Badosa told reporters.
“I’m happy that I could win and that I have another opportunity to be better next day. I’m happy that nobody noticed how nervous I was on court, because to be honest, I was really nervous.”
Badosa, a quarter-finalist in Paris last year, grabbed two breaks in succession at the start of the first set and held serve comfortably, with wildcard Ferro failing to carve out a single break opportunity.
It was even easier in the second set as Badosa stormed through it in 18 minutes to seal victory and confirm her status as one of the favourites.
“I have a lot of emotions there, because of course maybe I’m one of the favourites, so I feel good and I feel confident. But at the same time, I feel pressure, because I feel that if I lose in the first rounds, I didn’t do well with expectations.”
“So I have both emotions and that’s what I’m working on. I’m trying to feel that power and confidence side more than the nerves and the pressure,” she said.
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