Top seed Kerber out
> World No. 1 in historic loss, tearful Kvitova returns
ANGELIQUE KERBER became the first top seed to lose in the opening round at Roland Garros yesterday as tearful Petra Kvitova swept to victory in her first match since surviving a knife attack which almost ended her career.
German world No. 1 Kerber, the reigning US Open champion, dropped serve six times on her way to a 6-2, 6-2 defeat to Russia’s Ekaterina Makarova.
“The pressure is always there especially in the big tournaments and the Grand Slams,” said Kerber, who won her first major at the Australian Open in 2016.
“Now I have to find to myself again and just try to forget the clay court season as soon as possible and then reset from the grass courts.”
It was the second successive first round exit at Roland Garros for Kerber – last year, she fell to unseeded Kiki Bertens before recovering to make the Wimbledon final.
It also continued a miserable spell for the 29-year-old on clay.
Makarova, now ranked 40 after reaching a career high of eight, was a double break ahead again for 3-0 in the second set.
Four successive breaks of serve followed before Makarova saved seven break points in the crucial eighth game to cause the upset.
“At the end of the match, it was really tough as I knew she wouldn’t give it to me – I had to win it,” said Makarova, a former semifinalist at the Australian and US Opens.
Kerber’s defeat makes the women’s draw even more open with Serena Williams, Maria Sharapova and Victoria Azarenka all not playing.
Two-time Wimbledon champion Kvitova downed outclassed Julia Boserup of the United States 6-3, 6-2, falling to her knees in celebration in the moment of victory before weeping at the net.
“I’m really glad to have made the decision to play here,” said 27-year-old Kvitova, who was seriously hurt when she fought off a knifewielding burglar at her home in the eastern Czech town of Prostejov in December.
“I won the match today but I knew I had already won,” she added, referencing the initial nightmare scenario where she feared she’d lose the fingers on her left playing hand.
Svetlana Kuznetsova, the eighth-seeded 2009 champion, survived two time warnings to make the second round by seeing off Christina McHale of the United States 7-5, 6-4.
Olympic champion Monica Puig sent veteran Italian Roberta Vinci to her 10th first round loss in 13 visits, winning 6-3, 3-6, 6-2.
In the men’s event, Bulgarian 11th seed Grigor Dimitrov coasted past France’s Stephane Robert 6-2, 6-3, 6-4 to register his first win in Paris in four years.
Dominic Thiem underlined his burgeoning reputation by dismantling Australia’s Bernard Tomic in straight sets in the opening round of the French Open yesterday.
The Austrian, seen as an outside contender for the title after reaching last year’s semi-finals at Roland Garros, powered past Tomic 6-4, 6-0, 6-2 in just 80 minutes.
Sixth-seeded Thiem is the only player to defeat nine-time French Open champion Rafael Nadal on clay this season and will play Italian qualifier Simone Bolelli or Frenchman Nicolas Mahut in round two. – AFP