Defending champ Muguruza survives Kontaveit scare
PARIS (Reuters) – Defending French Open champion Garbine Muguruza had to claw her way back from a set down to survive a scare from talented Anett Kontaveit and move into the third round with a 6-7, 6-4, 6-2 win.
It was a slow start for the Spanish world number five, but she eventually worked her way into the contest, growing in confidence as the game progressed to set up a third-round match against Yulia Putintseva.
“I think I was a little bit nervous when I started off, because I knew she was going to be a tough opponent. She was very quiet, very relaxed, and I had to calm down.”
“So it took me a while to get things back under control,” said the 23-yearold, who was beaten by the Estonian in Stuttgart just last month.
The Spaniard looked in real trouble when Kontaveit, ranked 53rd in the world and in stellar form that has seen her reach the final in Biel and the quarterfinals in Rome, took a one-set and 2-0 lead.
Muguruza was kept in the contest by her serve, winning 72 percent of all her first service points.
She needed just over two hours to overcome Kontaveit, who by that time had run out of steam, slapping a backhand wide.
Meanwhile, home favorite Kristina Mladenovic ignored her bad back and fed off a buoyant crowd as she cruised into the French Open third round with an emphatic 6-2, 6-3 victory over Italy’s Sara Errani on Wednesday.
The 13th-seeded Frenchwoman, who was on the brink of pulling out of the tournament after hurting her back on the eve of her first-round match, rarely looked in trouble against the 2012 Roland Garros runner-up.
Mladenovic, who will next face American Shelby Rogers, was back to her confident self, peppering the court with winners in a one-sided contest.
One of the tournament favorites after reaching the finals in Stuttgart and Madrid this year, Mladenovic lived up to expectations with a tidy display.
No French woman has lifted the Suzanne Lenglen Cup since Mary Pierce in 2000, local hopes often crumbling under pressure.