Amanda Anisimova shows Naomi Osaka door in round 1

PARIS, May 23

Japan’s Naomi Osaka crashed out of the French Open in a 7-5 6-4 first-round loss to American Amanda Anisimova today, a year after her dramatic withdrawal from the claycourt Grand Slam tournament amid mental health issues.

Up against 27th seed Anisimova, four-time Grand Slam champion Osaka never looked comfortable on her least favourite surface as she struggled to control her powerful game.

Krejcikova knocked out

Barbora Krejcikova’s French Open title defence ended in the opening round as local hope Diane Parry was roared to a 1-6 6-2 6-3 victory against the second-seeded Czech.

Krejcikova, who defeated Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in the 2021 final to win her maiden Grand Slam title, arrived at Roland Garros without any competitive matches under her belt since February due to an elbow injury.

But she breezed through the opening set against the 97th-ranked Parry, who was facing a top-10 opponent for the first time in her career, in 34 minutes before her rustiness showed. — Reuters

DAY 2: HIGHLIGHTS

ANDREESCU BATTLES

Bianca Andreescu, who returned to action in April following a six-month mental health hiatus, moved into the second round with a 3-6 7-5 6-0 win over qualifier Ysaline Bonaventure.

NO STOPPING SWIATEK

Iga Swiatek’s campaign got off to a smooth start as the world No. 1 needed less than an hour to dispatch Ukrainian Lesia Tsurenko 6-2 6-0. The Pole extended her winning run to 29 matches

KVITOVA ADVANCES

Twice Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova rallied from 2-5 to take the first set against Hungarian Anna Bondar on the tiebreak before cruising through the second to win 7-6(0) 6-1.