Venus Williams is eliminated in her opening match at the French Open.
PARIS — 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 has had such early back-to-back exits.
All in all, it was quite a Day 1 at the only Grand Slam site that gets things started on a Sunday. There is certain to be at least one first-time French Open finalist because 2010 champion Francesca Schiavone and 2012 runnerup Sara Errani joined 2017 champ Ostapenko and 2002 runner-up Williams on the way out of the bottom half of the draw.
Unforced errors add up
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.
“Terrible day at the office today for me,” Ostapenko said. “I mean, in general, I played maybe, like, 20 percent of what I can play. Made like 50 unforced errors and so many double-faults. Like, couldn’t serve today. I had this unbelievable pressure. I felt that I’m not myself.”
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; 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.
A forgettable year thus far
In 2017, ranked 47th and 20 years old, Ostapenko became the first woman since 1979 to win her initial tour-level trophy at a Grand Slam tournament. But the fifth-seeded Latvian has had a rough road this season: Her record is 12-12.
Williams appeared to be getting back into her match when she grabbed a 3-0 lead in the second set. But she immediately gave away that edge and kept missing shots this way and that.
“I like to think,” she said, “that I win all my matches if I’m playing well.”