Russia’s Anastasia Myskina wrote herself an unwanted chapter in the Roland Garros record books on Monday when she became the first defending champion in history to crash out in the first round.
Less than a day after revealing her mother, Galina, is battling a serious illness, the 23-year-old fifth seed slumped to a 6-4, 4-6, 6-0 defeat at the hands of Spanish veteran Maria Sanchez Lorenzo.
Her defeat in one hour and 44 minutes on the showcase Philippe Chatrier court was the worst performance by a defending champion in the history of the event, knocking Justine Henin-Hardenne’s second-round capitulation in 2004 and Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario’s 1990 exit, also in the second round, off the top in the list of shame.
”It’s a tough time for me to be here. Maybe I’ll take some time off, maybe I’ll practise a bit harder,” said Myskina, who has endured a miserable run of form this year and who came into Roland Garros with a shoulder injury.
”I want to play my best and I want to go to Wimbledon and Eastbourne, but I don’t know right now. I have no explanation for today. As soon as the ball comes to me, I don’t know really what to do.”
By contrast, Sanchez Lorenzo, who now faces Switzerland’s Emmanuelle Gagliardi, was overjoyed by her win.
”I’m very proud to have beaten the champion. She’s going through a difficult period at the moment, but that doesn’t take away from my win,” said the 27-year-old, the world’s 109th-ranked player.
There were no such dramatics in the men’s first round where world number one Roger Federer, fourth-seeded title favourite Rafael Nadal of Spain, defending champion Gaston Gaudio and British seventh seed Tim Henman all won in straight sets.
Top seed Federer, looking to become just the sixth man to win all four grand slams, brushed aside Israeli qualifier Dudi Sela 6-1, 6-4, 6-1, while 18-year-old Nadal, hoping to be the first man in 23 years to win the title on his debut, saw off Germany’s Lars Burgsmuller 6-1, 7-6 (7/4), 6-1.
Federer has never got beyond the quarterfinals in Paris in six previous attempts, but on Monday he had far too much class for 20-year-old Sela, ranked 264th in the world and playing the first tour match of his career.
”I had been waiting impatiently for this match,” said Federer, who has now won 42 of his 44 matches in 2005 and is seeded to face Nadal in the semifinals. ”I had a lot of problems in the beginning, but then I got into my stride.”
Federer next plays Spain’s Nicolas Almagro for a place in the third round.
Nadal, looking to emulate Swedish great Mats Wilander, who clinched the title on his Roland Garros debut in 1982, next plays Belgium’s Xavier Malisse.
The muscular fourth seed was forced to miss the 2003 French Open because of an elbow injury and then had to sit out the 2004 event due to a stress fracture in his left ankle.
He has spent the spring constantly playing down talk of being the favourite in Paris despite clinching five clay-court titles already this year, but he hammered home his credentials again on Monday, notching up his 18th win in a row.
”I don’t think I should be the favourite the way I played today,” said Nadal. ”I am told I am the favourite and that bothers me sometimes because I tend to believe it and it puts pressure on me. It’s better to play when you’re not under pressure.”
Gaudio, who came back from two sets down to beat Argentinian compatriot Guillermo Coria in last year’s final, cruised past France’s Julien Benneteau 7-5, 6-0, 6-1 and now faces Russia’s Dimitry Tursunov.
Henman, the seventh seed who made the semifinals in 2004, also reached the second round, beating Argentinian lucky loser Juan Pablo Brzezicki 6-2, 6-1, 6-4.
Elsewhere in the women’s event, top seed Lindsay Davenport and twice runner-up Kim Clijsters shrugged off fears that recent injuries might curtail their progress.
American Davenport, hit by a hip injury last month, overcame a shaky start to see off Slovenia’s Katarina Srebotnik 3-6, 6-2, 6-2, while Clijsters, playing with her right knee heavily strapped, easily saw off American qualifier Meilin Tu 6-1, 6-0.
Davenport, who has never got beyond the semifinals in Paris in 11 previous appearances, now faces China’s Peng Shuai, while Belgian 14th seed Clijsters, runner-up in 2001 and 2003, faces Slovakia’s Ludmila Cervanova.
Eleventh seed Venus Williams, runner-up to sister Serena in 2002, beat Spain’s Marta Marrero 6-3, 6-2 and next faces Colombia’s Fabiola Zuluaga.
Last year’s beaten finalist Elena Dementieva, the Russian fourth seed, saw off Barbora Strycova of the Czech Republic 6-3, 6-3 and plays Sanda Mamic of Croatia. — Sapa-AFP