South African star Kgothatso Montjane won her first round wheelchair match against Chile’s Macarena Cabrillana 6-3, 6-3 in windy conditions on court 11 at Roland-Garros on Tuesday.
The win coincided with Montjane’s 39th birthday.
She mentioned that she was very chuffed when arriving at Roland-Garros this morning, she was asked if she was competing in the junior event!
Equipment issues
Prior to the commencement of the match, Kgothatso Montjane had some equipment issues with a broken strap on her wheelchair. It was repaired and then the repairs had to be redone.
“It’s time for a new chair. This one is six-years-old. It might be tired.”
Thankfully, the chair issues did not impact Montjane’s performance, although there were some anxious moments prior to the match.
“I was just hopeful that they (organisers) would get me going.”
There were potential issues with Montjane not being able to stay in her chair if the strap was not able to be repaired.
“If the strap was unable to be repaired, it would have made it challenging for the umpire as the rules state that I must be in the chair at all times.”
Regarding her win, Montjane was not totally satisfied with her performance.
“It was a good win, but I honestly feel like it could have been better.
“I made the match difficult for myself. I felt like that I didn’t use the court really well.
“I dropped quite a lot of balls short.”
There were some positives for Montjane.
“However, I played well under pressure. After taking the lead in the first set, I felt like I should have taken control.
“I’m glad I managed to seal it up.
“It could be better. I’m not happy with the complete play.”
More energy
Kgothatso Montjane described wanting more patience on her opponents serve.
“I was moving in too early, I had to wait and then I killed the momentum.
“I like it more when my opponent serves faster, and the ball has more energy.
“Otherwise, I have to create the energy myself.”
Montjane outlined some areas of improvement she would like for her next match.
“I want to be more consistent, hit with more depth, and put more speed on the ball. I want more topspin with my forehand so that I don’t continue to hit the balls long.”
The conditions on court 11 consisted of a strong, swirling wind.
“The wind made it hard for my ball toss and I found it tricky to work out which way that the wind was blowing.”
Neck injury
Kgothatso Montjane admitted that she was unlikely to celebrate her birthday as she is currently battling a neck injury as a result “of playing for the last three weeks.”
“All I want to do is shower, get my neck worked on, and get as much rest as I can.”
Montjane revealed that she supports Kaizer Chiefs and Manchester United.
Kaizer Chiefs finished ninth in the recently-concluded Betway Premiership, while Manchester United fared even worse, ending 15th in the English Premier League.
Kgothatso Montjane will need to show as much determination as it took supporting those teams this season when she next plays!
Montjane will next be up against fourth seed Ziying Wang of China in the quarter-finals.
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