Pain-free, positive tennis a big plus for Kristina Mladenovic at S’pore Tennis Open

SINGAPORE - Kristina Mladenovic sent a forehand from the baseline and sprinted to the net, smacking a volley to the baseline. Without missing a beat, the 33-year-old Frenchwoman then played a delicate backhand that seemed to deliver the kiss of death as the ball stopped dead in its tracks in the forecourt.

On Sept 21, the crowd at the OCBC Arena cooed at Mladenovic’s mastery, which ended an 11-stroke rally against Japan’s Nao Hibino in the Round of 32 at the Singapore Tennis Open. They were pulled to the edge of their seats time and again in the 140-minute marathon, but Mladenovic was eventually edged out by the gritty Hibino, who claimed the match 7-5, 3-6, 6-4.

Mladenovic said: “I have no pain anywhere, so this is why I could produce some good tennis today and a good fight. I felt physically well on court, moving well, and yeah, it’s been a long journey to come back.

“It was the first day of matches and it was nice to see the crowd so enthusiastic,” added Mladenovic of what looked like a half-full Centre Court on Monday afternoon at the US$1.2 million (S$1.5 million) tournament.

Mladenovic had endured a challenging few years, going from crutches in 2025 and working through a chronic foot problem that raised doubts if she could even return to the game. While her doubles game is firmly back on track, she is taking things easy in the more “physically demanding” singles, for now at least.

After an injury-ravaged 2025 season, the former women’s doubles world no. 1 is getting back to her best, winning the Wimbledon women’s doubles title in July with Guo Hanyu. Her record now reads: seven women’s doubles Grand Slam titles, three mixed doubles Grand Slams, and prior to the Singapore tournament, she rose to 11th in the women’s doubles world rankings.

Her singles game has not bounced back as sensationally. Once ranked as high as 10th in 2017, she is now world No. 822.

But she is not fretting.

“It’s a very tricky situation for me in singles because it takes way more in terms of fitness. I’m definitely lacking singles matches this year because I’m just coming back from nowhere, from a very tough injury where I wasn’t sure if I will even be back in the game,” said Mladenovic who revealed that she has had to manage the physical load so as not to risk further injury.

“I’m glad that the work is paying off, and that I could show a good fight and some good rallies, some good physicality out there, and that’s what gives me joy. So it’s a positive thing. And even though I lost today, I really, really enjoyed just being pain-free and swinging singles points again.”

Mladenovic’s Singapore sojourn is not yet over, as she will line up alongside Alexandra Panova in the doubles event.

She added: “(Singapore will see) the same Kristina. I’m always competitive, I’m with a new partner – because my partner Hanyu is representing Team China at the Billie Jean Cup this week – and it’s never easy to compete first time with a new partner, but I’m very much looking forward to it.”

Mladenovic and Panova will face Estonia’s Ingrid Neel and Giuliana Olmos from Mexico in the Round of 16 on Sept 22.

In the day’s other action, tournament fifth seed Maja Chwalinska – who went on a sensational run from qualifier to finalist at the French Open in June – beat wild card Rebecca Sramkova 6-4, 6-2, and will next face either Oleksandra Oliynykova or Vivian Wolff in the second round.

In the day’s opening match Aliaksandra Sasnovich beat Daria Kasatkina 7-5, 6-0 to set up a second-round meeting with top seed Mirra Andreeva.