Virginie Razzano Shocks Serena at Roland Garros
With the French Open in full swing, Day Three marked the first big upset of the tournament on the women’s side. Serena Williams has never before lost in the first round of any Grand Slam event, and she came into the 2012 French Open as the heavy favorite to win the title, having won the tournament back in 2002. In a dramatic three-hour plus affair, Virginie Razzano of France, currently ranked 111th in the world, defeated Serena, 4-6, 7-6, 6-3. Surprisingly, Serena is the first American player to be eliminated from the tournament. Williams entered the day with a 46-0 record in first-round matches at Grand Slam tournaments. She had been looking for her 14th major title, and second at Roland Garros.
”I made so many errors today, which isn’t the game I was playing in the past,” said Serena. ”That’s life.”
All other American women have advanced so far in the tournament, however, four U.S. women will compete against each other tomorrow for a spot in the third round. Qualifier Lauren Davis is having a remarkable tournament so far taking down the 30th seed, Mona Barthel, 6-1, 6-1. Davis will face fellow American young up-and-comer Christina McHale in the second round. The second all-American affair will feature Sloane Stephens facing off against Bethanie Mattek-Sands. Seeded players Francesca Schiavone, Petra Kvitova and Maria Sharapova have all advanced to the third round.
On the men’s side of the draw, Day Three was far less dramatic. Number two-seeded Rafael Nadal won his match easily against Italy’s Simone Bolleli, 6-2, 6-2, 6-1. Fourth-seeded Andy Murray also won against Tatsuma Ito of Japan, 6-1, 7-5, 6-0. Other top seeds, Janko Tipsarevic, David Ferrer and Richard Gasquet have all advanced. Unfortunately, Americans Sam Querrey, James Blake and Donald Young were all defeated.
