Alejandra Salazar and Aranza Osoro  They came very close to a huge upset at the Suzanne-Lenglen. Facing the 3rd seed  Ari Sánchez / Andrea Ustero They pushed their opponents to a third set and even took an early break before ultimately losing.  3/6 6/3 2/6 .

A defeat that was bound to be frustrating for Salazar, who was competing there  his last Roland-Garros  and who could still dream of a Major semi-final in Paris.

Ustero makes the difference in the first set

The first set is clearly in favor of  Sánchez / Ustero .

In inspired form, Andrea Ustero took the initiative and made a significant difference to the match. Salazar/Osoro struggled to contain the young Spaniard's bursts of speed, and the third seed deservedly took the first set.  6/3 .

At that moment, the match seemed to be going rather well for Sánchez / Ustero.

Salazar is gaining momentum, Ustero is losing steam

But the second half takes on a completely different character.

Ustero becomes much less precise and starts accumulating unforced errors. On the other side,  Alejandra Salazar is clearly gaining momentum .

The former world number 1 is taking more control of the game, finding better areas and starting to make a much bigger difference.

With Osoro also very inspired, they completely reversed the dynamic and won the second set  6/3 .

The dream continues at 2-0 in the third

The momentum continued into the start of the decisive set.

Salazar/Osoro break early and quickly take the lead  2/0 .

At that moment, a major upset seemed truly possible. For Salazar, the scenario was almost ideal: to extend his last French Open and go for a  Major semi-final in Paris .

But from that point on, everything changes.

Sánchez / Ustero completely turn the third set around

Ari Sánchez and Andrea Ustero completely change their face.

They regain their solidity, bring more intensity and also benefit from a physical decline on the Salazar / Osoro side.

The games then proceed in only one direction.

Trailing 2-0, Sánchez/Ustero win  six consecutive games  to complete the third set  6/2  and confirm their qualification for the semi-finals.

Salazar / Osoro were therefore very close to taking down the 3rd seed, but leave the Paris Major fighting to the end.

Salazar's last French Open

Defeat inevitably has a particular flavor for  Alejandra Salazar .

In her last appearance at Roland-Garros, she pushed one of the best pairs in the tournament to their limits and came within a few games of reaching another Major semi-final.

There will inevitably be regrets, especially with that break advantage in the third set.

But she leaves Paris after having once again shown that she can compete at the highest level.

Benjamin Dupouy

I discovered padel directly during a tournament, and frankly, I didn't really like it at first. But the second time, it was love at first sight, and since then, I haven't missed a single match. I'm even ready to stay up until 3am to watch a final of Premier Padel !

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