3 times the defending French Open women's singles champion lost in first round ft. Barbora Krejcikova
Day 2 of the 2022 French Open witnessed a huge shock, as defending women's singles winner Barbora Krejcikova was sent packing in the first round by Diane Perry.
There was little inkling of an upset as the World No. 2 pocketed the first set for the loss of just one game. With Krejcikova leading 2-0 in the second, a straight-set loss looked to be in the offing for Perry.
However, the Frenchwoman had other ideas as she rode the support of a partisan Philippe-Chatrier crowd to script the tournament's biggest upset so far.
In the process, the 19-year-old, ranked 97th in the world, became the lowest ranked player in 11 years to beat the second seed in Paris. She followed in the steps of then-World No. 114 Arantxa Rus, who beat Kim Clijsters in the second round in 2011.
Teenage Dream 
🇫🇷 Teenage Dream 🇫🇷
19-year-old Diane Parry dethrones defending champion Krejcikova 1-6, 6-2, 6-3 to become the lowest-ranked woman to beat the No.2 seed in Paris since No.114 Rus upset Clijsters in 2011
#RolandGarros https://t.co/WcGUtJYoiW
Meanwhile, Krejcikova's ouster in the first round marked only the third time in the Open Era that the defending ladies' singles champion bit the dust at the first hurdle. On that note, here's a look at all three instances:
#3 2022 - Barbora Krejcikova lost to Diane Perry 6-1, 2-6, 3-6
Barbora Krejcikova made her return to action at the French Open after losing to Jelena Ostapenko in the Doha semifinals in February.
The World No. 2 showed little signs of rust in her first match back in three months, dominating the early exchanges against Diane Perry. After opening the match with a double fault, she reeled off 15 straight points before eventually taking the opening set 6-1.
A swift day in the office looked to be in the offing for Perry when the Frenchwoman found herself 2-0 down in the second set. However, the single-hander - a rarity in the women's game - suddenly rediscovered her mojo as Krejcikova began to implode.
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After winning four straight games to draw parity, Perry dropped only three games in the decider. She then broke for 5-3 before promptly serving out victory to bring up the biggest win of her career and her first in the main draw of any tournament.
An ecstatic Perry said after her win at a closed Philippe-Chatrier on a rainy day at the French Open:
"It (the start) was rough. You want to do well, because I was playing in front of a lot of people I knew, and I was playing No. 2 worldwide. The titleholder of the French Open. So I wanted to play well."
The Frenchwoman continued:
"Maybe I overplayed somehow, but it was needed, and this is what I realized throughout the match. I tried to become more aggressive ... Towards the end of the first set, I managed to find my grooves in terms of my shots, my intensity. And during the second set I managed to hold my own, and I felt that it was getting better and better, that it was bothering her."
Krejcikova said that despite time on the practice court, she was found wanting physically. She said:
"I just think I just collapsed physically. 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."
The Czech continued:
"We started to play rallies, and I was there for those shots, I started to be a little late. That's where I felt that I started to miss balls and where the match changed... She was just overplaying me, because I was late and I wasn't able to put that much pressure on her anymore."
#2 2018 - Jelena Ostapenko lost to Kateryna Kozlova 5-7, 3-6
Jelena Ostapenko scripted a fairy-tale run to the 2017 Roland Garros title - her first Major - after trailing by a set and a break against future winner Simona Halep. However, just a year later, the young Latvian bit the dust at the first hurdle, losing 7-5, 6-3 to Ukrainian Kateryna Kozlova.
The then World No. 5 struggled to come to terms with the conditions and her game on Court Philippe-Chatrier. Ostapenko dished out an error-strewn performance with 13 double faults and 48 unforced errors.
Kozlova, ranked 66th in the world at the time, had won the pair's two previous outings and was in no mood to respect her illustrious opponent or the stage.
Defeat for Ostapenko marked only the sixth time (second at Roland Garros) that the defending ladies' singles champion crashed out in the first round of a Major.
Defending champion shocked!
Kateryna Kozlova scores the biggest win of her career over Ostapenko 7-5 6-3.
#RG18 https://t.co/51Y9Z0lOOz
Kozlova said after her win, her first against a top-30 player:
"I didn't expect anything from the match. I just went to enjoy every moment on the court because, before, I was not sure if I will be able to play in French Open. So I was just happy to be on court, back on court, and compete. So it was very important for me. And, in the end, the result comes up and it's just amazing."
Meanwhile, a dejected Ostapenko surmised her emotions following her first-round French Open defeat:
"I think it was terrible day at the office today for me. I mean, in general I played maybe like 20 percent of what I can play. Made like 50 unforced errors and so many double faults. Like, couldn't serve today. Everything together just brought me really bad result."
#1 2005 - Anastasia Myskina lost to Maria Sanchez Lorenzo 4-6, 6-4, 0-6
A year after becoming the first Russian to win a Grand Slam singles title at the 2004 French Open, Anastasia Myskina came crashing down to earth.
Her 4-6, 6-4, 0-6 loss to Spain's Maria Sanchez Lorenzo marked the first time the defending French Open women's singles champion failed to cross the opening hurdle.
Myskina opened her title defence by losing the opening set but fought back to force a decider. However, the 24-year-old Russian ran out of steam as Sanchez Lorenzo won six games on the trot to dump out the holder.
The Spaniard said after her win:
"I was thinking about computer points; I've lost so many of those this year. I was thinking about how getting the points would let me enter tournaments I was not planning on entering."
Meanwhile, an emotional Myskina said after her defeat:
"Right now, it's a tough time; maybe now I'm not really ready to win."
Sanchez Lorenzo couldn't mount a deep run, however, losing in straight sets in the next round against Emmanuelle Gagliardi.