PARIS, (Reuters) – World number one Angelique Kerber was dumped out of the French Open on Sunday, going down 6-2 6-2 in a first-round defeat to Russia’s Ekaterina Makarova.
The German became the first top seeded woman to lose in the opening round of the French Open since the sport went professional in 1968.
After briefly threatening a recovery in the eighth game, in which she held two break points, Kerber meekly surrendered the first set with a forehand that never looked like clearing the net.
The German dropped serve in the next game, with Makarova hitting four clean forehand winners to take a hold on the match that she rarely looked like relinquishing.