Top seed exits early at French Open
PARIS• A French Open already missing Serena Williams and Maria Shara po va is now without No. 1-ranked Angelique Kerber, too, lending even more of a feeling that the women’s championship is anyone’s to win.
Kerber has not been playing at all like one of the best at what she does, and on Sunday she became the first woman seeded No. 1 to lose in the French Open’s first round in the professional era.
Kerber, who replaced Williams atop the WTA rankings this month, was gone from Roland Garros by lunchtime on Day 1, putting up little resistance while being beaten 6-2, 6-2 by 40thranked Ekaterina Makarova of Russia.
It’s the latest in a string of early exits for Kerber, who reached her first three major finals in 2016.
“This year, I mean, the expectations are much bigger, especially in the big tournaments and the Grand Slams. And the expectations are also, from me, really big, of course, because I know what I can do, what I did last year,” Kerber said. “But right now, I think that I have to find myself again.”
Other significant results as the year’s second Grand Slam tournament began: Two- time Wimble- don champion Petra Kvit ova played — and won — her first match since being stabbed by an intruder at her home in December; Venus Williams began her 20th appearance at Roland Garros with a victory; and Rio Olympics gold medallist Monica Puig eliminated 2015 U.S. Open runner-up Roberta Vinci 6-3, 3- 6, 6-2.
Makarova’s take when informed of the history made by her victory?
“Well,” she said, “that’s unbelievable.”
Although maybe not, considering how Kerber has fared lately.
Her Australian Open and U.S. Open titles, plus Wimbledon runner- up finish, seem a bit in the distance now: The German has a 19-13 record this season, losing 4 of her past 6 matches.
“If you are losing, it’s always tough to ( enjoy) the game,” Kerber said. “I mean, I know in the last years I had always up and downs and right now, of course, I’m down.”
Add in that 23- time major champion Serena Williams is pregnant and won’t play until next season, and five- time major champion Sharapova was refused a wild card in Paris as she returns from a 15- month doping suspension, and the rest of the field might have more reason than usual to believe in the chance to claim a Grand Slam trophy.
“That’s the beauty of our sport right now: Anybody can win and everybody’s really good,” said Shelby Rogers, an American who beat Marina Erakovic of New Zealand 7- 6 ( 4), 6- 4 on a steamy Sunday when the temperature touched 90 degrees (32 Celsius).
In the most noteworthy men’s game on Day 1, it was 6th seed Dominic Thiem of Austria defeating Bernard Tomic of Australia, 6- 4, 6- 0, 6-2.