Defending champ, Williams make early exit

A year after stunning the tennis world by winning the French Open for her initial tour-level title, Jelena Ostapenko is again in rare company: a first-round loser as the defending champion at a grand slam tournament.

Something even more unusual happened at Roland Garros, too: Venus Williams was beaten in her opening match at a second consecutive major, the only time in her lengthy, distinguished career she’s had such early backto-back exits.

All in all, it was quite a Day 1. There already is certain to be at least one first-time French Open finalist, because 2010 champion Francesca Schiavone and 2012 runner-up Sara Errani joined 2017 champ Ostapenko and 2002 runner-up Williams on the way out of the bottom half of the draw.

Ostapenko’s high-risk game produced far fewer rewards than problems, with 48 unforced errors to only 22 winners as she bowed out to 67th-ranked Kateryna Kozlova, of Ukraine, 7-5 6-3 at Court Philippe Chatrier. Over at Court Suzanne Lenglen, things went similarly for Williams, a seven-time major champion, who had 21 more unforced errors than her opponent in a 6-4 7-5 loss to 85th-ranked Wang Qiang, of China.

Ostapenko is only the second reigning women’s champion to exit in the first round of the French Open a year later — it happened to 2005 winner Anastasia Myskina, too — and only the sixth at any major tournament in the professional era.

Errani lost to 32nd-seeded Alize Cornet, of France, 2-6 6-2 6-3, while Schiavone was beaten by Viktoria Kuzmova 7-6 (2) 7-6 (2). Also out of that half of the draw: No 22 Johanna Konta, of Britain, a 6-4 6-3 loser against Yulia Putintseva.

All seeded men in action won, including No 2 Alexander Zverev and No 4 Grigor Dimitrov, who eliminated Mohamed Safwat, the seventh ‘‘lucky loser’’ to make it into the draw and the first man from Egypt to play in a grand slam tournament in 22 years.

Meanwhile, Nick Kyrgios’ 11th-hour withdrawal has left redfaced officials in a mad scramble to find a replacement to play Bernard Tomic.

Tomic won’t know who he plays today – if anyone at all – until the morning of his match.

In unprecedented and rather comical scenes at Roland Garros, the tournament ran out of ‘‘lucky losers’’ – players who failed to qualify – available to fill the void in the main draw.