Andy Murray and Heather Watson battle into Second Round
Andy Murray started his French Open campaign with a four
sets victory over Golubev. The seventh seed started strongly and raced away in
the first set, taking it 6-1. Golubev proved to be more of a handful in the
second set but Murray sealed it with a single break. Murray went off his game
in the third set which allowed Golubev back into the match as the game went
into a fourth set. However, it was Murray who sealed victory after holding onto
a break of serve in the fourth set saw the Brit through into the second round.
There were wins for Ferrer, Gasquet and Anderson but Karlovic caused a major
upset after defeating Dimitrov in straight sets.
Heather Watson progressed into the second round with a
hard fought straight sets victory over Strycova. However, there was a major
casualty in the women’s draw as second seed Na Li crashed out in the first
round after losing in three sets to Mladenovic. It was the Frenchwoman who took
the first set 7-5 but Na Li levelled proceedings at one set apiece after
claiming the second set 6-3. Amazingly, it was Mladenovic who raced away in the
third set and claim a massive scalp, taking it 6-1. Meanwhile, there were wins
for Halep, Jankovic and Errani. However, it was a disappointing Grand Slam exit
for Wozniacki, who recently split from fiancée Rory McIlroy, crashing out after
losing to Wickmayer in three sets.
My Opinion:
It was pleasing to see Murray progress in good form.
However, losing the third set showed some weaknesses that may hinder his
progress deeper into the tournament but nevertheless, it was important to get
through the first round. Gasquet managed to get through what could have been a
tough encounter fairly easily, beating Tomic in straight sets whilst David
Ferrer progressed unscathed into the second round. There were a couple of
upsets as the big serving Ivo Karlovic incredibly knocked out Grigor Dimitrov
in straight sets. That was a complete shock to everyone. Almagro and Haas both
had to retire from their respective matches which meant that a couple more
seeds were taken out of the tournament.
In what turned out to be a good day for British tennis,
Heather Watson moved into the second round after overcoming Strycova in
straight sets. It was a very competitive match but Watson played really well
and hopefully that can spark some form back into the game. There was a major
shock as Na Li was knocked out in the first round. Mladenovic had the crowd
right behind her and she managed to pull off quite an upset. That result will
surely please Serena as one of the few opponents who could give her a match has
already been taken out. I had to feel for Wozniacki, who already suffered a
terrible week prior to the tournament starting, as she bravely gave it her all
but it was just too much for her in the end. Errani and Jankovic both
progressed but they needed three sets to get the job done. Halep and Ivanovic
were in good form and breezed past their opponents.
Men’s Singles First Round Selected Results
Ferrer (5) beat Sijsling 6-4, 6-3, 6-1
Gasquet (12) beat Tomic 6-2, 6-1, 7-5
Murray (7) beat Golubev 6-1, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3
Karlovic beat Dimitrov (11) 6-4, 7-5, 7-6
Zopp beat Haas (16) 2-5 Retired
Anderson (19) beat Robert 7-5, 6-3, 6-4
Sock beat Almagro (21) 5-0 Retired
Women’s Singles First Round Selected Results
Halep (4) beat Kleybanova 6-0, 6-2
Ivanovic (11) beat Garcia 6-1, 6-3
Mladenovic beat Li Na (2) 7-5, 3-6, 6-1
Errani (10) beat Keys 7-5, 3-6, 6-1
Stephens (15) beat Peng 6-4, 7-6
Wickmayer beat Wozniacki (13) 7-6, 4-6, 6-2
Watson beat Strycova 6-3, 6-4
Torro-flor beat Koukalova (30) 7-6, 6-2
Jankovic (6) beat Fichman 5-7, 6-1, 6-3
Men’s Doubles First Round Selected Results
Pavic/Sa beat Skupski/Venus 6-2, 6-3
Gonzalez/Lipsky beat Fleming/Hutchins 7-6, 6-4
Murray/Peers (15) beat Pospisil/Ram 6-1, 4-6, 7-6
Gabashvili/Kukushkin beat Klahn/Skupski 7-6, 6-4
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