PARIS (Reuters) - The roar that greeted Alize Cornet's second-round victory against Jelena Ostapenko at the French Open on Thursday was so deafening that the Latvian former Roland Garros champion literally had to cover her ears after being overwhelmed by the support her French opponent received on court Philippe Chatrier.
The Roland Garros crowd is known to be fickle, corporate seats are often empty at lunchtime, but when a French player needs support, spectators can turn the usually quiet tennis courts into a wild arena and the claycourt Grand Slam provides an atmosphere unmatched at other majors.