Second-seeded Aryna Sabalenka coasted to a 6-1, 6-2 win over Erika Andreeva on Tuesday in their first-round match at the French Open in Paris.
Sabalenka, of Belarus, recorded 27 winners against 16 unforced errors and broke the Russian’s serve five times to capture the match in 68 minutes
Also on Tuesday, fourth-seeded Elena Rybakina of Kazakhkstan cruised to a 6-2, 6-3 victory over Greet Minnen of Belgium.
Rybakina overcame an early 2-0 deficit to win 10 straight games to set up a second-round clash against Arantxa Rus of the Netherlands. Rus posted a 6-4, 6-3 win over three-time major champion Angelique Kerber of Germany.
Seventh-seeded Zheng Qinwen of China also breezed to a 6-2, 6-1 win over Frenchwoman Alize Cornet, who retired after the match. Cornet, 34, previously announced that the French Open would be her final tournament on the tour.
“I’d like to be remembered as a genuine player who shared all her emotions with everyone all throughout her career with a fighting spirit,” said Cornet, who won six singles titles. “Someone who is a passionate tennis player, who likes to fight and who could die for it.
“I think I showed it several times, that it was actually my type of character. People may love me or not for that type of personality, actually, but this is what brought me until here.”
Tenth-seeded Daria Kasatkina of Russia notched a 7-5, 6-1 victory over Magdalena Frech of Poland.
No. 25 Elise Mertens of Belgium posted a 6-3, 7-6 (8) win over Maria Lourdes Carle of Argentina, while Russia’s Anna Blinkova outlasted No. 28 Sorana Cirstea of Romania 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (5).
–Field Level Media
