French Open: Day 1 Recap

The first day of Roland Garros has come and gone, and while high winds may have been kicking up loose clay, it was the players who were really stirring things up. A few upsets, a few easy wins—all pure WTA entertainment.

As I expected, Peer was the first seeded player to say goodbye to the Paris crowd. Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez was quick to attack Peer's inconsistency and withering confidence, upsetting the Israeli 7-6 (4) 6-1. Pennetta followed Peer's lead a bit later, falling to Lepchenko in three sets, 6-3 2-6 6-3.

On the flip side, players like Stosur, Kuznetsova and Jankovic were able to make quick work of their first round opponents. All three seeds completed their matches in straight sets, dropping no more than five games each (note that JJ only lost four).

The biggest buzz, however, came from centre court when Julia Goerges stepped on court to face France's Johansson. Would the German take the first step in proving her title as a "rising star," or would she falter and say an early goodbye to Paris? The first set was all Goerges. She took command of each point with blistering shots and moved well. Johansson could do little in reply and was forced to accept a half-hour drubbing.

The second set, however, the crowd got behind their countrywoman and the match became competitive. Johansson moved ahead 3-1 as Goerges began spewing errors left and right. Goerges answered in impressive fashion, rattling off five of the next six games and shutting the door on Johansson's surge, winning the match 6-1 6-4 and looking strong for the coming rounds.

Results:


Stosur def. Benesova 6-2 6-3
Goerges def. Johansson 6-1 6-4
Cornet def. Voracova 6-4 6-2
Jankovic def. A Bondarenko 6-3 6-1
Kuznetsova def. Rybarikova 6-2 6-3
Lepchenko def. Pennetta 6-3 2-6 6-3
Sanchez def. Peer 7-6 (4) 6-1
Dushevina def. Dokic 4-6 6-3 6-2
Dulko def. Falcon 6-3 6-4
Safarova def. Flipkens 6-1 6-1
Pironkova def. Dellacqua 7-5 6-3
Barthel def. Bammer 6-1 7-5
Mattek-Sands def Santonja 2-6 7-6 (5) 6-3
Hercog def. Sanches 6-0 6-1
Marino def. K Bondarenko 6-3 6-3
Halep def. Kudryavtseva 6-2 6-1
Pavlyuchenkova def. Shvedova 7-5 6-3

-Kedzie Teller, ITB Senior Editor