'It's just not clicking': Denis Shapovalov upset in 1st round
No Canadian men left as Milos Raonic, Felix Auger-Aliassime not competing due to injury
Canada is without a player in the men's draw at the French Open after Denis Shapovalov lost his first-round match 7-6 (1), 6-3, 6-4 to Jan-Lennard Struff on Monday.
Shapovalov, the 20th seed from Richmond Hill, Ont., started strong, winning the first three games and up 40-30 in game 4 with the chance for a second break.
But the German battled back, saving the fourth game and breaking in the fifth. He then dominated the tiebreak, setting the tone by taking the first four points. Shapovalov made 26 unforced errors in the set, including four in the tiebreak.
Struff cruised from that point, converting his only break-point opportunity in the second set while not having to save a break point, then breaking Shapovalov twice in the third.
Both players had eight aces in the match, though Struff had a 5-1 advantage in the third set.
WATCH | Shapovalov out in 1st round:
"I had a good start. Had a chance to go up two breaks. Didn't take it. And he really raised his game [after that]," Shapovalov said. "You know, I think I did everything I could today. I was fighting, but he was really picking his spots especially in the big points.
"He came up with some crazy shots. So credit to him. He played a great match today."
Andreescu match suspended
In women's action, a match between Bianca Andreescu of Mississauga, Ont., and Marie Bouzkova of the Czech Republic was suspended due to darkness tied at one set each.
Struff was good on 62 per cent of first serves to Shapovalov's 61, and both players had 38 winners. But Shapovalov was hurt by his 44 unforced errors, 11 more than his opponent.
Shapovalov's loss capped a disappointing end to what was looking like a promising Canadian contingent in the men's draw at Roland Garros before seeded players Milos Raonic and Felix Auger-Aliassime withdrew due to injury.
Shapovalov had an inconsistent European clay-court season, going 2-6 on a stretch that started with a loss to Struff in Monte Carlo.
"It's just not clicking," Shapovalov said. "I don't think that it's anything specific. I think I'm putting in the work. I think my game is there, but it just hasn't been clicking in the matches. You know, I've got some tough draws, some bad luck with that. For the most part, I've been playing some good matches."
Jekyll and Hyde performance
Andreescu was coming off a long layoff due to a muscle tear in the rotator cuff of her right shoulder. She hadn't played since March 25, when she retired in a fourth-round match with Anett Kontaveit at the Miami Open. That ended a fantastic run for the 18-year-old that included a victory at the prestigious Indian Wells tournament.
Andreescu's rust was evident against Bouzkova with 42 unforced errors. But in what was a Jekyll and Hyde performance, Andreescu also had 38 winners to 14 for Bouzkova.
After losing the first set, Andreescu drew even in a wild second set that saw nine consecutive breaks. Andreescu's win in the deciding 10th game was the only hold of the set.
The decisive third set will be played Tuesday, when Eugenie Bouchard of Westmount, Que., is set to face 27th seed Lesia Tsurenko of Ukraine.
Former No. 1 Wozniacki makes quick exit
Caroline Wozniacki went from playing a perfect set to start her French Open campaign to quickly fading away against an opponent who had never previously won a Grand Slam match.
"Definitely wasn't the best match I've ever played," said the 13th-seeded Wozniacki, who had only 15 winners to Kudermetova's 40.
The way-up-then-way-down showing by Wozniacki stretched her losing streak to four matches and dropped her 2019 record to 9-8.
WATCH | Former No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki falls to 68th seed:
Serena Williams recovers after slow start
This was one mistake too far for Serena Williams.
Sure, the bad backhand put her behind only 15-30 at the outset of the second set of her opening match at Roland Garros on Monday. What made the miscue so bothersome? She'd already dropped the first set against 83rd-ranked Vitalia Diatchenko — and Williams' unforced error total already was at 15 on a windy evening.
So she reacted by throwing her head back and letting out a scream. Then she stepped to the baseline to serve and stomped her right foot. And simple as that, Williams righted herself: She won 11 of the next 13 points, and 12 of 13 games the rest of the way, to come back for a disappointing-to-dominant 2-6, 6-1, 6-0 victory at the French Open.
Williams arrived in Paris having withdrawn from each of her past two tournaments because of a balky left knee, and the one before that because of illness. She had played only nine matches all season, and so her pursuit of a record-tying 24th Grand Slam title — fourth at Roland Garros — seemed no sure thing.
Kvitova bows out with forearm injury
Another past Grand Slam champion dropped out of the field Monday when two-time Wimbledon winner Petra Kvitova withdrew from the French Open because of an injured left forearm.
The left-hander said the arm had been bothering her for some time and during practice Sunday, "suddenly I felt the pain."
"I went to have an MRI, and, yeah, unfortunately I have a tear in my forearm, which is not great," said Kvitova, who hopes to be ready for the start of Wimbledon on July 1.
In other action early Monday, No. 32 men's seed Frances Tiafoe of the U.S. lost to Filip Krajinovic of Serbia 6-2, 4-6, 6-3, 3-6, 6-0, and No. 18 women's seed Julia Goerges of Germany was beaten 7-5, 6-1 by Kaia Kanepi of Estonia. Other winners in the women's draw included No. 4 Kiki Bertens, No. 8 Ash Barty and No. 26 Johanna Konta.
I played really well in the first set. And then I think she got very lucky at the start of the second set and took advantage of the opportunities she got.— Caroline Wozniacki on her 1st-round loss to Russia's Veronika Kudermetova
In other action, Rafael Nadal began his bid for a record 12th championship in Paris and Novak Djokovic got started on his quest for a fourth consecutive major trophy with easy wins.
Nadal was a bit shaky in the very first game against 184th-ranked German qualifier Yannick Hanfmann, facing four break points, but he saved them all — and didn't face another the rest of the way for a 6-2, 6-1, 6-3 victory.
Nadal's feared forehand was not at its dangerous best, accounting for more unforced errors (11) than winners (nine).
WATCH | Rafael Nadal breezes 1st-round win:
"I had my match plan and, yeah, some of the things, they didn't work out well," said Hanfmann, who played college tennis at Southern California. "But, I mean, that's why he's as good as he is."
12th-seeded Medvedev ousted
Djokovic also needed under two hours to reach the second round, running his Grand Slam winning streak to 22 matches by getting past 44th-ranked Hubert Hurkacz of Poland 6-4, 6-2, 6-2.
WATCH | Top-ranked Novak Djokovic prevails in straight sets:
But No. 32 seed Frances Tiafoe of the U.S., a quarter-finalist at the Australian Open in January, threw up a couple of times and his game came apart late in a 6-2, 4-6, 6-3, 3-6, 6-0 loss to Filip Krajinovic of Serbia.
Other seeded players on the way home included No. 12 Daniil Medvedev, who was eliminated 4-6, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, 7-5 by Pierre-Hugues Herbert and No. 15 Nikoloz Basilashvili on the men's side, along with No. 18 Julia Goerges on the women's.
"I played really well in the first set. I played aggressive. I played the way I wanted to play. And then I think she got very lucky at the start of the second set and took advantage of the opportunities she got," Wozniacki said, her chin resting on her left hand. "And then I think I just lost a little steam in the end."
'I have to try and stay positive'
She made only three unforced errors in that opening set, but 18 over the last two.
"You want to win, you're competitive, you work hard and you want to see results. So, it hasn't been a great year for me so far. And I'm just going to try and work hard and try to turn that around. Right now, there's not much I can do about the first six months of the season. I had some good weeks where I felt great, and then I've had some weeks where I've been sick and some weeks where I've been injured," Wozniacki said.
"I just have to try and stay positive, and obviously it's not as easy to stay positive when things aren't going your way. But I think that's when you really need to -- and you need to just keep grinding."
In other women's action, Serena Williams overcame a slow start for a 2-6, 6-1, 6-0 win over 83rd-ranked Vitalia Diatchenko of Russia in her opener.
Williams had completed only three matches since her Australian Open ended four months ago, and she cited a bothersome left knee when pulling out of her past two tournaments.
Williams seemed more relieved than pleased at avoiding what would have been only the second loss of her career in the first round of a Grand Slam tournament — after her defeat to Virginie Razzano at Roland Garros in 2012.
With files from The Associated Press