Egyptian junior Sandra Samir lost in the second round of both her singles and doubles matches on Tuesday but the 15-year-old said she leaves Paris with nothing but positive feelings.
Samir, who is one of only two Arabs playing at Roland Garros this fortnight, was playing with a bandaged shoulder, which had troubled her in the first round.
Despite putting up a fight in the second set, Samir fell 6-2, 1-6, 6-2 to Slovakia’s Kristina Schmiedlova, who had taken out No4 seed Varvara Flink in the opening round.
“Kristina serves are really big and steps inside the court, unlike my first round opponent,” Samir said after her loss. “The past four months, I’ve been working on stepping inside the court myself and taking the ball early, but that’s not what I needed to do today.
“I had to be more patient and not be too aggressive. I shouldn’t have tried to speed up the ball with her because she blocks them. So by the time I realised I was playing with the wrong tactics, I had lost the first set.
“I recovered in the second set but in the third, I started well but I got impatient again because my shoulder was starting to really hurt me. I’m not trying to give excuses but I got treatment for my shoulder in the first round and today I woke up in a lot of pain.
“The doctor told me my diaphragm is strained and it’s affecting my whole right side.”
Samir also lost in doubles alongside American Christina Makarova in straight sets despite leading 4-0 in the second set. The Egyptian reigning African champion says she hopes to return next year and do better.
“I feel that I still have three more years to come here as a junior and this was my first Roland Garros. My opponent came here last year, has more experience, and has many matches under her belt as a qualifier,” said Samir. “It’s been an amazing experience.”
Meanwhile, Samir’s compatriot Mazen Osama advanced to the second round in doubles partnering Denmark’s Simon Friis Soendergaard. The pair upset the No6 seeds Filippo Baldi and Harry Bourchier 6-2, 1-6, 10-7.
READ MORE:
– Tsonga thanks Federer for letting him ‘win one’
– Why Tsonga has Nadal to thank for Federer win
* For breaking news, follow us on @Sport_360 or find us on Facebook.
