Several fascinating women’s matches were played on Day 1 of the French Open. Last year’s runner-up Jasmine Paolini, World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, and two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova all competed in Paris. We here at LWOT recap who impressed, which women had a bad day, and name the best match of the opening day.
French Open Day 1 Women’s Recap
Who Looked Good
Aryna Sabalenka made an almost perfect start to her French Open campaign. She ruthlessly dismantled Kamilla Rakhimova 6-1 6-0 on Court Philippe-Chatrier. The pace of the three-time Grand Slam champion’s groundstrokes was overwhelming, and Rakhimova could not adjust to the intensity of the rallies at any stage of the contest.
Jasmine Paolini had to work much harder to avoid an upset. Yue Yuan was just three games away from causing one of the most significant shocks seen in the opening round at Roland Garros at 3-2 and a break up in the deciding set. However, Paolini then started playing with more margin and waited for the correct times to attack. That allowed the Italian to reel off four consecutive games and triumph 6-1 4-6 6-3.
Qinwen Zheng defeated a former French Open runner-up on Day 1. Anastasia Pavlyucjenkova made the match competitive and produced some trademark powerful hitting. Zheng ultimately won 6-4 6-3 after being clinical on break points, converting five of seven chances. The Chinese player secured an Olympic Gold Medal in her last appearance at Roland Garros. That is one of many reasons to believe she can win the French Open.
Petra Kvitova was the sole former Major champion who exited the tournament. The Czech lost a topsy-turvy encounter 6-3, 0-6, 4-6 to Viktorija Golubic. Although she missed some unexpected shots in the deciding set, Kvitova did not play badly for a 35-year-old who only returned to the sport a few months ago after over a year out on maternity leave. She could thrive during the grass-court swing.
18-year-old Victoria Mboko registered her first Grand Slam main draw win. The uber-talented Canadian overcame Wimbledon quarterfinalist Lulu Sun 6-1 7-6. She is a rising star, and her next match against the entertaining Eva Lys promises to be great viewing.
Who Looked Bad
Peyton Stearns was surprisingly poor by her standards on Day 1 of the French Open against Lys. The American might have had high hopes for the season’s second Grand Slam after an exceptional run to the Italian Open semifinal in her last tournament appearance. Instead, the 23-year-old’s usually formidable forehand leaked several unforced errors. At the same time, Lys also played excellently in her 6-0 6-3 victory, especially in defence.
2021 US Open runner-up Leylah Fernandez fell 3-6 1-6 to Olga Danilovic. Last year, Danilovic reached the French Open fourth round, and is an excellent clay-court player. But Fernandez made things easier than expected for the Serbian by repeatedly struggling in the left-handed forehand-to-forehand exchanges.
Marta Kostyuk was the third seeded player to lose on Day 1. The Ukrainian started as a heavy favorite against the 19-year-old Sara Bejlek, but comprehensively lost 3-6, 1-6. Kostyuk made 41 unforced errors despite being on the court with Bejlek for only one hour and 19 minutes.
Match of the Day
Olympic Silver Medalist Donna Vekic’s entertaining 7-5 6-7 6-1 victory against Anna Blinkova and 17-year-old Iva Jovic’s 6-3 5-7 6-4 triumph over Renata Zarazua were contenders for the best women’s match on Day 1 of the French Open. Anastasia Potapova’s stunning comeback against the 29th seed, Linda Noskova, is chosen because of its incredible drama. Noskova took the opening set 7-5 after initially failing to close it out at 5-3.
Potapova, one of the biggest fighters in women’s tennis, responded superbly. She dominated the second set and forced a decider by winning it 6-1. However, it seemed like those efforts would be in vain when Noskova took a 5-2 lead in the third. Potapova dug her heels in from that position and put several balls back into the court that looked like sure winners when they left the Czech’s racket.
Noskova cracked under the pressure. Potapova reeled off five consecutive games to confirm the most impressive comeback on Day 1 of the French Open and a place in the next round after a 5-7, 6-1, 7-5 win.
Main Photo Credit: Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports
