Paris, May 25: Elina Svitolina survived a major first-round scare at the French Open after fighting back from a set down to defeat Hungary’s Anna Bondar in a dramatic three-set contest at Roland Garros on Monday.
The world No. 7 battled for two hours and 26 minutes before sealing a hard-fought 3-6, 6-1, 7-6(3) victory, extending her streak of reaching the second round in Paris to 13 consecutive years.
The match marked the fifth meeting between the two players in the last 12 months and once again proved to be a difficult challenge for Svitolina, who had lost her previous two encounters against Bondar.
After struggling in the opening set, the Ukrainian raised her intensity in the second by dominating from the baseline and repeatedly targeting Bondar’s movement to level the match comfortably.
Elsewhere, American Amanda Anisimova overcame a rusty start to defeat France’s Tiantsoa Rakotomanga Rajaonah 6-3, 6-1 in her opening-round match. Returning from an eight-week injury layoff, Anisimova recovered after early struggles to dominate the contest and secure victory in one hour and nine minutes.
In the men’s draw, former champion Stan Wawrinka bid an emotional farewell to the French Open after losing 3-6, 6-3, 3-6, 4-6 to Dutchman Jesper de Jong in what is expected to be his final appearance at Roland Garros. (IANS)
