Gracheva Beats Golubic in Three Sets at Australian Open: 'Had Few Expectations Here'

Gracheva Dominates Golubic to Reach Australian Open Second Round, Faces Rybakina Next

© AFP

Adrien Guyot

le 20/01/2026 à 16h22

1 min to read

Golubic Viktorija Gracheva Varvara Open d'Australie

Varvara Gracheva advances to the second round at the Australian Open. The Frenchwoman dominated Viktorija Golubic (6-1, 2-6, 6-1) and joins Elena Rybakina for a spot in the round of 16.

After eliminating the Swiss player, the world No. 77 gave an interview to French Tennis Federation media in which she discusses her day's matchup against a player she has now beaten three times in four encounters.

“29 net approaches? I didn’t expect to come forward that much”

“I’m so happy with my tournament start. I didn’t have many expectations for the Australian Open. My start to the season wasn’t great and I’m glad to still be playing here.

The tactic was to put plenty of height on her backhand because she takes the ball early. When the ball has a bit more pace, she’s more comfortable. So I tried to disrupt her rhythm as much as possible and I did it well in the first set.

I also had a bit of luck, but I wanted to make her run as much as possible. 29 net approaches in this match? Thanks Carlos Martinez! The last two days, I’ve practiced with him.

He agreed to play with me. We worked on volleys a bit, but I didn’t expect to come to the net that much,” she told FFT media after the match.