Upsets are becoming a theme early in the 2022 French Open as four Top 10 WTA players are already eliminated after the first round.
Defending champion Barbora Krejcikova was outplayed by an unlikely hometown hero, and she was joined by World No. 5, No. 6, and No. 10 Anett Kontaveit, Ons Jabeur, and Garbine Muguruza.
Elsewhere, Iga Swiatek continues to show us why she’s being favoured by the French Open 2022 odds to win the competition by extending her win streak to 29 consecutive matches after a dominant opener – the longest run on the WTA Tour since 2013.
Similar to the Madrid Open, Naomi Osaka exited the tournament early and is looking ahead, while Simona Halep’s comeback trail remains one of the main storylines to look out for.
Without further ado, allow SBOTOP to bring to you the latest French Open 2022 updates.
Barbora Krejcikova stunned by a young teenager
French teenager Diane Parry produced one of the biggest shocks of the competition when she defeated World No. 2 Barbora Krejcikova, 1-6, 6-2, 6-3 during the first round. It was, not only the 19-year-old’s first match against a Top 10 player, but also her first against someone ranked in the Top 50.
“When my mother would bring me to school, I could see every day the Roland Garros Stadium. It was a dream for me to play there once. I played there and I actually won, so it’s wonderful,” said Parry after the match.
“Today, it’s a dream come true in front of a beautiful crowd,” she added.
Barbora Krejcikova was playing in her first match in over three months and she was rusty following an elbow injury she suffered last February.
After opening the match with a double fault, Krejcikova jumped off to a big lead by scoring 15 unanswered points before Parry turned it around from the second set onwards and never looked back.
Krejcikova looked worn out as the match went on since she committed 45 unforced errors, which opened an opportunity for Parry to take advantage.
“It was tough because I didn’t play the matches. Usually, the matches are different than the practices, and I tried to prepare the best way I could. I just think I just collapsed physically,” admitted Krejcikova.
This was the first WTA main-draw win for Diane Parry. She will look to sustain her momentum as she’s set to take on Camila Osorio next, who is just one year older of her.
Naomi Osaka exits France, unsure about Wimbledon
Naomi Osaka couldn’t help but question the ATP and WTA’s decision to strip Wimbledon the ranking points after banning Russian and Belarusian players from competing following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The Japanese said that she’s leaning towards not playing since she won’t get the valuable points anyway, regardless of whether she plays or not.
“I feel like if I play Wimbledon without points, it’s more like an exhibition. I know this isn’t true, right? But my brain just like feels that way. Whenever I think like something is like an exhibition, I just can’t go at it 100%,” said Osaka.
“I didn’t even make my decision yet, but I’m leaning more towards not playing given the current circumstances,” she reiterated.
Despite Osaka’s comments, other tennis stars have shared different opinions regarding the situation at Wimbledon. Iga Swiatek and Novak Djokovic – who are No. 1 both in the WTA and ATP respectively – among others, expressed their desire to play in England.
Former World No. 1 Osaka spoke following her first round defeat at the hands of Amanda Anisimova on Monday, 7-5, 6-4. The Japanese couldn’t get it going against the American as she was playing on her least favorite surface.
Simona Halep searching for No. 10 in clay courts
Exactly one year ago, Simona Halep was on the brink of retirement but now she will be entering Paris with high motivation. The Romanian has started to work under new coach Patrick Mouratoglou and she credits him for bringing that fire back.
“I was almost done before coming here because I didn’t have that fire anymore. So coming here I found it and I discovered again why I play tennis,” said Halep.
“I play tennis because I love it. He brought that fire back,” she added.
Simona Halep will open her Roland Garros campaign against World No. 165 Nastasja Schlunk, which is a winnable match. However, her path moving forward won’t be easy with a potential matchup against Iga Swiatek in the Round of 16 looming. But one must not take Halep for granted as she has the second-most clay court titles among active WTA players with nine.
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