The defending champion in singles and doubles arrived at the French Open. She was coming off a three-month absence from the WTA Tour because of an injured right elbow, so even her own expectations were modest.
On Monday, she became only the third woman in the professional era to exit in the first round after winning a trophy.
The second-seeded Krejcikova got off to a terrific start before everything fell apart in a 1-6, 6-2, 6-3 loss to Diane Parry, a 19-year-old from France who is ranked 97th and entered the day with a 1-5 career record in Grand Slam matches. Spectators shouted for her at Court Philippe Chatrier, where the noise echoed under the retractable roof because of the rain.
It is a dream for me. It was a dream to play on this court, and the French crowd supported me. They pushed me to victory.
Naomi Osaka lost her opening match at the US Open. At the Australian Open in January, the American beat Osaka in the third round.
Iga Swiatek advanced to the second round after extending her winning streak to 29 matches. The Polish player, who won the French Open title in 2020, defeated Lesia Tsurenko in the first round. Since Serena Williams won 34 in a row in 2013, Swiatek has been the longest winning streak by a woman. She has won the title in the past.
Petra Kvitova defeated Anna Bondar while Victoria Azarenka defeated Ana Bogdan. Two years ago, Kvitova reached the semifinals at the French Open and won the Wimbledon title. The two-time Australian Open champion reached the semifinals of the French Open.
This was the first match of the year for Krejcikova.
The only other women to lose in the first round a year after winning the title were Anastasia Myskina in 2005 and Jelena Ostapenko in 2018).
The seven reigning women's champion have been bounced in the first round of a Grand Slam tournament.
On the match's very first point, Krejcikova double-faulted, then looked every bit someone ready to display her best tennis. After 15 points in a row, she raced to a four point lead.
It is not easy to start against the defending champion on this court. But I was able to relax.
Things turned around after the opening set as Parry played better. By the end, she had made 45 unforced errors, 19 in the third set alone. The man finished with 26.
The report was contributed to by the Associated Press.
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