Day 1 of the French Open saw many top women’s players take to the court. Four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka, 2021 Roland-Garros champion Barbora Krejcikova and home favourite Caroline Garcia were among the players in action. This article recaps the day’s events by looking at who looked good and bad which match stood out the most.
French Open Day 1 Women’s Recap
Who Looked Good?
Naomi Osaka showed great mental fortitude to progress to the second round of the French Open against Lucia Bronzetti. After a strong first set, she made more unforced errors than she would have liked in the following sets. The Japanese star recovered from losing five consecutive games in the deciding set to fight through, showing admirable composure at the end of the match.
Viktorija Golubic caused an upset against the former champion Barbora Krejcikova, defeating her 7-6 6-4. The Czech only recently returned from injury, meaning it would be harsh to say she looked bad. Instead, Golubic should receive the plaudits for being more solid, making 29 less unforced during the contest.
Day 1 at the French Open also saw local hero Caroline Garcia battle through a really tough match. She eventually came through 4-6 7-5 6-2 against Eva Lys. The Frenchwoman leaked many unforced errors in the opening two sets, with Lys varying the paces of her shots very smartly to cause her opponent trouble. Garcia did very well to stay calm in the second set, before playing an excellent final set.
2020 Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin was another player who fought back from a set down against Laura Siegemund. She played superbly in the last two sets of her 4-6 6-2 6-2 triumph. It has been a rough season so far for Kenin and she was becoming frustrated against the German’s consistency in the opening set. When she settled down, Kenin’s superior talent shone through. This might be the win she needs to kickstart her year.
Who Looked Bad
Veronika Kudermetova’s disappointing season continued on the opening day of the French Open. The 29th seed lost 2-6 4-6 to Marie Bouzkova. She paid the price for making twice as many unforced errors as her determined and focused opponent. A break before the grass-court season begins may be welcome after her difficulties in 2024.
Diana Shnaider also had a disappointing day in Paris. The talented 20-year-old’s shots were wayward from start to finish as she exited 3-6 1-6 to the wild card Chloe Paquet. Although her opponent deserves credit for rising to the occasion at her home Grand Slam, Shnaider did not make her work hard to win.
Match Of The Day
This year’s Australian Open quarterfinalist Marta Kostyuk had a dramatic battle with Laura Pigossi on Court 6. The Ukrainian had to recover from 4-2 down to take the opening set 7-5 after several long and gripping rallies between the pair. Pigossi was not disheartened by that setback and continued to fight hard in Paris. Despite not being able to serve out the set at 6-5, the Brazilian prevailed in the tiebreak 7-4 to force a deciding set.
Kostyuk, who was very frustrated at the end of the tiebreak, looked down and out when she fell 4-0 down in the third set. Incredibly, the 18th seed then reeled off six games in a row to seal her place in the next round at the French Open. Kostyuk’s coach deserves some of the credit for the advice and guidance she gave her player at 4-0 down, when the 21-year-old was getting very animated.
Main Photo Credit: Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports
