Four WTA champions ousted at Roland-Garros

Four former Grand Slam singles champions were knocked out on the opening day of the French Open women’s draw, turning May 24 into an early shake-up at Roland-Garros. Sofia Kenin, Barbora Krejcikova, Emma Raducanu and Sloane Stephens all lost first-round matches in Paris, according to the tournament’s official results and match reports. (sports.yahoo.com) Emma Raducanu’s exit came in straight sets against Argentina’s Solana Sierra, while Krejcikova’s defeat came after she held match points against American Hailey Baptiste. (rolandgarros.com) Peyton Stearns beat Kenin, and Sara Bejlek beat Stephens. ### Which former champions went out on Day 1? (rolandgarros.com) Sofia Kenin, the 2020 Australian Open champion, lost 6-3 6-3 to Peyton Stearns in a match that lasted 1 hour 18 minutes on Court 14, the official Roland-Garros match page showed. Barbora Krejcikova, the 2021 French Open champion, lost to 26th-seeded Hailey Baptiste 6-7(7) 7-6(6) 6-2 on Court Suzanne-Lenglen after nearly three hours. (rolandgarros.com) Emma Raducanu, the 2021 U.S. Open champion, lost 6-4 7-6 to Solana Sierra on Court 13 in 1 hour 45 minutes. Sloane Stephens, the 2017 U.S. Open champion who came through qualifying, fell 6-3 6-2 to Sara Bejlek on Court 6 in 1 hour 22 minutes. ### How did Baptiste beat Krejcikova from match points down? Hailey Baptiste saved two match points and beat Krejcikova in three sets, in what Roland-Garros described as a victory “from two match points down.” The official match report said the 24-year-old American, seeded for the first time at a major, regrouped after losing the opening-set tiebreak and raised her level late in the second set. (rolandgarros.com) Baptiste said her focus was on not letting her own reactions decide the match. “I just refuse to let myself be the reason that I lose a match and really focus on being mentally strong,” she said in the tournament report. She also said she needed to “raise my energy and intensity” after falling behind in the second set. (rolandgarros.com) ### What stood out in Raducanu’s loss to Sierra? Emma Raducanu lost 6-4 7-6 to Solana Sierra in straight sets, making it an opening-round exit on Court 13. The official Roland-Garros result page listed the match at 1 hour 45 minutes. Yahoo Sports reported that Raducanu had been dealing with the aftereffects of a viral illness and had withdrawn from several tournaments during the spring, limiting her clay-court preparation. (rolandgarros.com) The same report said she was emotional after the loss. The Guardian’s live coverage described the performance as error-strewn. ### Was Stephens’ run already unusual before the main draw began? (rolandgarros.com) Sloane Stephens entered the main draw as a qualifier, according to the official Roland-Garros result page for her first-round match against Sara Bejlek. Her loss ended a week in which the former U.S. Open champion had already won qualifying matches to reach the field in Paris. (rolandgarros.com) Yahoo Sports said Stephens’ qualifying run had drawn support before her first-round defeat. The outlet also noted that Stephens remains part of TNT Sports’ media coverage during the tournament. ### What comes next at Roland-Garros? Roland-Garros said Day 2 play begins Monday, May 25, with more first-round matches across the grounds in Paris. (sports.yahoo.com) The tournament’s live blog said it would resume updates at 11 a.m. local time, and the official order of play lists the next slate of men’s and women’s singles matches. (rolandgarros.com 1) (rolandgarros.com 2)