Jabeur, Thiem exit French Open
Agencies
PARIS: Arab trailblazer Ons Jabeur crashed out of the French Open at the first hurdle on Sunday as full crowds returned to Roland Garros after a pandemichit two years.
Sixth seed Jabeur, seen as a potential champion, despite never having previously got past the fourth round, lost 3-6, 7-6 (4), 7-5 to Poland’s 56th-ranked Magda Linette.
Jabeur came into the event with a season-leading 17 wins on clay in 2022, the prestigious Madrid title under her belt and a runners-up spot to world number one Iga Swiatek in Rome. However, she was undone Sunday by 47 unforced errors in the two hour 28-minute match.
“Obviously I was expecting better but we say maybe something happens bad because there is something good happening in the future,” said Jabeur.
Linette had lost to Jabeur in the third round in 2021 having stunned an injury-hit top seed Ashleigh Barty in her previous match. “I just tried to stay focused after the first set and tried to make her uncomfortable,” said Linette.
Also making a premature exit was 2016 champion and 10th seed Garbine Muguruza, beaten 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 by Estonia’s Kaia Kanepi, the oldest woman in the tournament who came back from a set and break down. World No. 46 Kanepi, who turns 37 next month, made the last eight at the French Open in 2008 and 2012. Sunday’s win was her 10th top 10 win at a Slam.
Two-time runner-up Dominic Thiem, whose ranking has slipped to 194 after a lengthy battle with a wrist injury, was another early casualty, losing 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 to 87th-ranked Hugo Dellien of Bolivia.
Thiem, the 2020 US Open champion, has yet to win a match in six attempts since his return in March. He has now lost 10 tour-level matches in a row. His last victory came in Rome just over a year ago.
The Austrian, a former world No. 3, reached at least the quar
Zverev, Sakkari cruise
Alexander Zverev cruised into the second round on Sunday with a 6-2, 6-4, 6-4 win over Austria’s Sebastian Ofner, the world No. 218. The German third seed, a semi-finalist in 2021, will play Sebastian Baez or Dusan Lajovic for a spot in round three as he chases a first Grand Slam title.
Greek fourth seed Maria Sakkari also advanced with a 6-2, 6-3 win over France’s Clara Burel. Sakkari, a semi-finalist at Roland Garros in 2021, takes on Karolina Muchova of Czech Republic next.