Defending Champ Krejcikova Out, Anisimov Ousts Osaka At French Open; Swiatek Streak Continues

More upsets hit the women’s draw at the French Open on Monday. Rains hit but play finished, and some wished it hadn’t.

Playing her first match since February, Barbora Krejcikova was rolling up a set and a break before she hit the wall and lost to Frenchwoman Diane Parry 1-6, 6-2, 6-3.

The Czech led 6-1, 2-0 but then dropped 12 of the last 15 games.

“I just think I just collapsed physically,” Krejcikova said. “It was tough because I didn’t play the matches. Usually the matches are different than the practices, and I tried to prepare the best way I could.

“We started to play rallies, and I was there for those shots, I started to be a little late. That’s where I felt that I started to miss balls and where the match changed. … She was just overplaying me, because I was late and I wasn’t able to put that much pressure on her anymore.”

Krejcikova becomes the second defending champion to ever lose the in the first round after Anastasia Myskina in 2005.

It was the 19-year-old Parry’s first win over a Top 50 player.

“It was rough,” Parry said. “You want to do well, because I was playing in front of a lot of people I knew, and I was playing No. 2 worldwide. The titleholder of the French Open. So I wanted to play well.

“Maybe I overplayed somehow, but it was needed, and this is what I realized throughout the match. I tried to become more aggressive,” she added. “Towards the end of the first set, I managed to find my grooves in terms of my shots, my intensity. And during the second set I managed to hold my own, and I felt that it was getting better and better, that it was bothering her.”

Four-time Slam winner Naomi Osaka exited her second straight Slam at the hands of Amanda Anisimova who took it 7-5, 6-4. Osaka came in dealing with an achilles injury.

“I took a painkiller before my match. I still kind of felt it a little, which I’m going to see what happens when it wears off,” Osaka said.

“I prepared myself to feel it, so that wasn’t really the wearing part. It was just annoying to me because the last time I played her, our serves were really important. And coming into this tournament I didn’t serve a lot, because we wanted to wait until last minute to protect my Achilles.”

Anett Kontaveit also was eliminated by Ajla Tomljanovic 7-6(5), 6-2.

Emma Raducanu outlasted the 17-year-old Linda Noskova 6-7(5), 7-5, 6-1. Fellow Slam winners Victoria Azarenka, Petra Kvitova, Angelique Kerber and Bianca Andreescu were also winners.

Tournament favorite and former champion Iga Swiatek didn’t disappoint cruising in her opener 6-2, 6-0 over Lesia Tsurenko. Swiatek has now won her last 29 matches and 44 of her last 45 sets.

“I just want to keep going,” Swiatek told the crowd. “I’m aware that someday my streak may stop. Basically, I’m just working every day to be focused on my tennis, not on stats or numbers. Just playing tennis and focusing on my game and being in a bubble. That’s going to help me be consistent. That’s what I’ve been doing the past weeks and I’m going to continue doing that here.”

Tomorrow, Aryna Sabalenka, Simona Halep, Karolina Pliskova and Danielle Collins.

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