BEVERLY HILLS, June 01, (THEWILL) – Just as the men’s event at this year’s Roland Garros took off with the surprising upsets that knocked off two top players in the fourth-ranked player Dominic Thiem and the British number one Dan Evans from the very first round of the 2021 French Open, the female game has joined in the string of upsets.
On Monday, Garbine Muguruza, who is a former champion on the clay courts of Roland Garros was defeated in her opening match at the Open in spectacular fashion by Marta Kostyuk, an 18-year-old Ukrainian player. She teenager eliminated the champion in straight sets: 6-1 6-4.
Although Muguruza, who is also a former world number one, received treatment for a back issue between sets and made a slew of aggressive errors, credit must be given to the focus and determined combative play of her much younger Ukrainian opponent.
Unfortunately, Muguruza played as the amateur of the two, which is shocking given the gulf in class and experience between both players. It was Muguruza’s errors, playing as though she was too eager to end rallies too quickly, that turned out to be her gravest miscalculation.
THEWILL recalls that the Spanish-Venezuelan won the tournament in 2016 at the peak of her powers and also went on to win Wimbledon the following year. For the French Open 2021, Muguruza was seeded 12th only for her to get her first opening-round exit at Roland Garros.
Therefore, the Ukrainian Kostyuk, who is ranked 81st in the world, earned her first win over a top 20 player. She proceeds to the second round where she will face Zheng Saisai, the Chinese tennis player that beat the Spaniard Sara Sorribes Tormo in three sets to progress from the first round.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
