By Richard Pagliaro | Sunday, May 28, 2017
World No. 1 Angelique Kerber lost to Ekaterina Makarova, 6-2, 6-2, becoming the first top-seeded woman in the Open Era to fall in the first round of the French Open.
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Angelique Kerber netted a tame return, spun around and pushed her racquet in the air as if shoving aside a dance partner who kept stepping on her toes.
Ekaterina Makarova refused to let Kerber stay in step bouncing the world No. 1 out of the Roland Garros first round.
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The 40th-ranked Makarova denied 14 of 16 break points, including seven break points in the final game, crushing Kerber, 6-2, 6-2, on opening day of the French Open.
The two-time Grand Slam champion made ignominious history.
Kerber is the first top-seeded woman to fall in the French Open first round in Open Era history. She's the first No. 1 seed to bow in the opening round of a Grand Slam since Martina Hingis lost her opener at the 2001 Wimbledon.
"It's unbelievable to win and to do it on my first appearance on Philippe Chatrier court as a singles player after nine years of coming to Paris," said Makarova. "At the end of the match, it was really tough as I knew she wouldn't give it to me—I had to win it."
It’s the second straight year the German fell in the first round following her three-set demise to Kiki Bertens in the 2016 first round.
Kerber, who dropped to 13-10 lifetime in Paris, suffered her fifth opening-round exit in 11 career Roland Garros appearances.
The passion and joy Kerber showed winning two majors last year has given way to flashes of fear and anxiety during this clay-court season.
Adhering to predictable serving patterns, the reigning US Open champion saw her second serve torched and failed to hold in any of her four service games in the second set.
Makarova won 16 of 22 points played on Kerber’s second serve and broke six times.
In a battle of left-handers, 2013 Roland Garros doubles champion Makarova took the ball earlier, controlled the center of the court and pushed the sturdy German behind the baseline racing out to a 5-1 lead.
Unable to hit through the court, Kerber was overpowered throughout the opening set.
Makarova saved two break points to serve out set 6-2. Kerber hit just four winners against 12 unforced errors in the opener.
The Olympic doubles gold medal champion burst out to a 3-0 second-set lead and had a point for 4-0. Kerber made a stand rifling a running forehand pass crosscourt to break back for 1-3.
Every time Kerber made a push, Makarova came right back to regain control. A deft drop shot gave her break point. Makarova broke again for 4-1 when Kerber scattered her normally reliable forehand wide.
Playing with more urgency, Kerber broke for 4-2 on a double fault only to spray a double fault deep to donate the break right back and a 5-2 lead.
Makarova flashed a forehand down the line closing in 82 minutes. A disconsolate Kerber walked off the court with a towel wrapped around her shoulders.
The 29-year-old German can still retain the world No. 1 ranking if third-ranked Karolina Pliskova does not win the Roland Garros title, but Kerber's downward spiral continues. She dropped to 19-13 on the season, losing her opening-round match for the third time in four clay-court events.
Former world No. 8 Makarova, whose best Roland Garros singles result is a pair of fourth-rond finishes (in 2011 and 2016), will face the winner of the all-Ukrainian match between Lesia Tsurenko and Kateryna Kozlova.
The top quarter of the draw is an opportunity section as two seeds fell on opening day. Olympic gold medal champion Monica Puig fought off 31st-seeded veteran Roberta Vinci, 6-3, 3-6, 6-2.
Puig will play Jelena Ostapenko, a 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 victor over Louisa Chirico.
No. 8-seeded Svetlana Kuznetsova defeated Christina McHale, 7-5, 6-4. The 2009 Roland Garros champion scored her 50th career win at the clay-court Slam and will meet either hard-hitting Italian Camila Giorgi or France's Oceane Dodin next.
No. 30-seeded Swiss Timea Bacsinszky swept Spain's Sara Sorribes Tormo, 6-1, 6-2, setting up a second-round meeting with Madison Brengle. The American