Van Uytvanck carries Flemish flame into third round of French Open

Summary

Flemish tennis pro Alison Van Uytvanck beat the number 32 seeded Zarina Diyas yesterday, securing her a spot in the third round of the French Open

Sole survivor

Alison Van Uytvanck produced a stunning victory against Kazakhstan’s Zarina Diyas yesterday to reach the third round of the French Open. Her 0-6, 6-1, 6-4 win against Diyas, ranked 32nd in the world, means the last Flemish player in Paris has a chance to reach the second week of the tournament.

Van Uytvanck (pictured), ranked 93 in the world, only played her first Grand Slam last year, and the sole WTA title to her name is the OEC Taipei Ladies Open she won in 2013. The 21-year-old from Grimbergen is currently Belgian tennis’ third ranked woman, behind Kirsten Flipkens and Yanina Wickmayer, but while her erstwhile superiors failed to get past the first round in Paris, Van Uytvanck is just one match away from the quarter finals.

Her third round tie – likely tomorrow – is against French-Serbian Kristina Mladenovic, currently at 44 in the WTA rankings. Van Uytvanck won their sole encounter, 6-2, 7-5, in Wuhan, China last year.

Photo by Virginie Lefour/BELGA

Flemish tennis

Winning four Grand Slams and two US Opens, Kim Clijsters single-handedly put Flemish tennis on the map in the late 2000s, and paved the way for the next generation of talented younger players like Yanina Wickmayer and Kirsten Flipkens.
Women on top - Before Clijsters arrived on the scene, Sabine Appelmans had long been Flanders’ most famous tennis player. She made it to number 17 on the WTA ranking.
Telly - Clijsters’ successes and massive popularity led the Flemish broadcaster VRT to sign a five-year contract to broadcast the Wimbledon tournament.
Boost - During Clijsters’ years at the top, the number of tennis players in Flanders increased by 40%.
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Clijsters wins her first Grand Slam

16

Grand Slam tournaments played by Clijsters

20

weeks Clijsters ranked number 1