French Open 2017: Top-ranked Angelique Kerber exits Roland Garros

World No.1 woman tennis player Angelique Kerber of Germany became the first women’s top seed to crash out from French Open’s first round in Open Era stunned by Russian Ekaterina Makarova 6-2, 6-2 here on Sunday.

Makarova, who has made the fourth round here twice, was a tough opponent for a player who does not like clay and has reached just one WTA Tour final all year.

The German has been badly out of form in 2017, despite sitting at the top of the rankings, and the only surprise about her 6-2 6-2 loss to Ekaterina Makarova was the magnitude of it. When Boserup threatened to pull back from 3-0 to 3-2 in the opening set, Kvitova roared and pumped her fist when she saved a break point.

Makarova is now ranked 40th in the world, but she has been as high as No. 8 in the past and she reached the semifinals of the U.S. Open in 2014 and the Australian Open in 2015. She is yet to win a title at the French Open. Of course, this is what I love and I will try to find the solution to come back maybe stronger.

But, arriving at Roland Garros high on confidence after having beaten Agnieszka Radwanska and Dominika Cibulkova on clay this year, she held her nerve to close out the match in a final game that featured five deuce points.

“On clay I’m not feeling so good especially on my movement”.

“The pressure is always there“.

“It felt great. So I’m glad it’s still there, still in the mind, still in the hand”, said Kvitova, whose team all wore matching t-shirts bearing the words “courage” and “belief”.

The year’s second Grand Slam tournament begins on the red clay of Roland Garros on Sunday.

“Normally I can move very well, but on clay it’s always a little bit different and hard for me”.

Kvitova suffered career-threatening injuries to her left hand in the attack, and many thought she might not play in Paris.

The two-time Wimbledon champion won 6-3, 6-2 against Boserup in a match which lasted around an hour and 13 minutes, reports Efe. In press conference the World No. 1 said: ‘She played a good match.

Under a promise to her doctor that she would stop if she felt any pain, she was relieved that there was no pain. It was a brilliant display from the Russian as she hit some incredible winners and backed that with an all-round display.

2015 semi-finalist Timea Bacsinszky also progressed, courtesy of a straight-forward victory over Sara Sorribes Tormo, but Italian veteran Roberta Vinci joined Angelique Kerber at the departure gates after losing a three-setter against reigning Olympic gold medallist Monica Puig. So even if I’m No 1, No 10 or whatever, I have to fight for my wins for my matches from the first point. She hadn’t gone beyond the round of 16 in her last three events, and set an unwanted record – first women’s No 1 to go out at the first round at Roland Garros.