Roddick falls Williams, Stosur pull through
ANDY Roddick, the last American man to win a major tennis title, was upset in the opening round of the French Open by France’s Nicolas Mahut yesterday, while Venus Williams and Samantha Stosur pulled through.
Roddick, the 2003 US Open champion and former world No 1, was beaten by the 88th-ranked Mahut, 6-3, 6-3, 4-6, 6-2 at Court Suzanne Lenglen at Roland Garros.
He had been trying to win his first match on clay this season. The 26th seed lost all three matches he played for the US at last week’s World Team Cup in Dusseldorf, Germany.
The 29-year-old had missed claycourt events in Rome and Madrid in the run-up to Roland Garros due to a hamstring problem.
The injury had forced Roddick to retire in the second round of the Australian Open in January.
Roddick refused to blame his injury woes for yesterday’s loss.
“I move just horrendously out here,” said afterwards. “My first step is just so bad on this stuff. I feel like I’m always shuffling or hopping or not stopping or something. My footwork on this stuff now is just really bad,” said Roddick, who produced 26 winners, 16 fewer than Mahut.
Roddick, who before yesterday’s match had won all four matches against Mahut, has never got past the third round on the slow claycourt surface in Paris.
Mahut, known for playing the longest match in history against John Isner of the US at Wimbledon in 2010, had lost in the French opening round eight times in 10 tries.
Meanwhile, Venus Williams, continuing her comeback after being diagnosed with an autoimmune disease, battled into the second round of the French Open yesterday with a 46 6-1 6-3 victory against Argentine opponent Paula Ormaechea.
Seven-times Grand Slam champion Williams, who returned to the tour in March after dropping out with Sjogren’s Syndrome, looked to be struggling early in the match but found the resources to win.
The American former world No 1 could now meet third-seeded Pole Agnieszka Radwanska, who plays Serbian Bojana Jovanovski today.
As the day cooled on Philippe Chatrier Court, both Williams and Ormaechea struggled to hold serve in the final set but the American gained the upper hand and, with some superb service returns, won the ninth game to love for victory.
US Open champion Samantha Stosur had the honour of being the first player into the second round, brushing aside Britain’s Elena Baltacha in her opener.
Australian sixth seed Stosur, the 2010 runner-up to Francesca Schiavone, took just over an hour to see off the 68th-ranked Baltacha 6-4 6-0 on Philippe Chatrier court.
The 26-year-old from the Gold Coast, who hammered 23 winners to Baltacha’s eight, next faces Irina Falconi of the US.
Stosur, who also kicked off last year’s tournament, said that she was getting used to the French Open Sunday starts, which were introduced in 2006.
“The first year they had it, there were only a few matches and it didn’t feel like the tournament had really started, it didn’t feel like it was happening with fewer players around,” she said. “But now with a full schedule, it really feels like the first day of the event.”