Angelique Kerber upset by Ekaterina Makarova at French Open
Ekaterina Makarova stunned Angelique Kerber, ranked number one in the world, at the 2017 French Open.
Going into the French Open, the women’s field was fairly open. Thanks to Maria Sharapova not being invited and Serena Williams’ pregnancy, two of the best female players in the world aren’t in the tournament. Number one seed Angelique Kerber, also ranked first in the world, was considered to be a favorite to win. However, she fell behind early to Ekaterina Makarova and wound up losing to her in straight sets (6-2 6-2).
Entering the match, Kerber had never won against a top 20 player at the event, with seven losses in seven matches. She’s the first women in the modern era to lose in the first round as the top seed at the French Open. Kerber struggled on clay courts even before Sunday’s match, so her loss shouldn’t come as a total surprise. Still, this will most likely cost her the number one ranking.
Kerber has never made it past the quarterfinals at the French Open. Her goal of getting a career Grand Slam will have to wait, and it’s now in jeopardy. Kerber opened the 2016 season by winning the U.S. Open and Australian Open.
That does it! A tremendous victory for @katemakarova1, who stuns world number 1 @AngeliqueKerber in a 6-2 6-2 win.#RG17 pic.twitter.com/AgBoVdFDMy
— FOX Sports LIVE! (@FSAsiaLive) May 28, 2017
The world’s number one female player made a lot of unforced errors and wasn’t able to catch up. For Makarova, she’ll wait for the winner of the match between Lesia Tsurenko and Kateryna Kozlova. The Russian will face the winner in the second round.
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Kerber’s struggles on clay are very concerning. Clay is difficult to play on, but the best players adjust and find ways to win. Kerber has a lot to answer to after this performance. She can likely say goodbye to her number one WTA ranking, depending on how the rest of the French Open goes.