And here’s a summary from Reuters:
Venus Williams suffered another early French Open exit when she was beaten 7-6, 6-1 by fellow American Sloane Stephens in the first round.
It was not a major surprise though as Stephens has reached the fourth round of the claycourt grand slam in the past three years. She will face Briton Heather Watson next.
Seven-times grand slam champion Williams, whose best result in Paris is a runner-up spot in 2002 but had not gone past the second rounmd in the past four years, made the better start, opening a 2-0 lead but Stephens proved more accurate.
The 22-year-old broke back and sent the opening set into a tiebreak, which she easily won as her opponent, whom she had never met, netted a forehand.
The 34-year-old Williams never recovered and looked short of energy in the second set as Stephens raced to a 3-0 lead and never looked back, ending the baseline contest with an ace.
Sloane Stephens beats Venus Williams 7-6, 6-1
An ace from Stephens edges her closer to victory. Venus shows some of the old magic with a forehand that gives Stephens no chance - 30-15. But Stephens soon has two match points. She wastes the first once with a hurried shot before closing out the match with an ace.
Second set: Stephens 5-1 Williams* (Sets: 1-0)
The winner of this match, by the way, would be on course to face Serena in a couple of rounds. Serena-not-messing-up permitting, of course. The easiest of backhands for Stephens gets her a little closer to that meeting, and Venus barely moves. But Venus comes to the net and claims her 14th point of 15 in that area to make it 40-30. Stephens battles back and a booming forehand gets the break.
Second set: *Stephens 4-1 Williams (Sets: 1-0)
Venus definitely has more energy now and she has Stephens running all over the court at 0-15 until she slips and sends a backhand long. Another overhit shot gives the game to Stephens.
Second set: Stephens 3-1 Williams* (Sets: 1-0)
Venus is a little zingier now that she’s back on serve. A ripping backhand at the net takes her to 40-15 and she then wins her first game of the set the next point.
Second set: *Stephens 3-0 Williams (Sets: 1-0)
Venus looking disconsolate and Stephens loses out the game easily. Venus, remember, was a break up in the tiebreak and looking the stronger player.
Second set: Stephens 2-0 Williams* (Sets: 1-0)
Venus perhaps showing some frustration now. She double faults to give Stephens a 0-30 lead. A serve at 15-30 is a good few feet out, hardly inspiring confidence. A weird moment at 15-40 when a bird flies at Stephens’s head just as she’s about to receive serve. They reply the point which, without a bird to distract her, Stephens wins.
Second set: *Stephens 1-0 Williams (Sets: 1-0)
Either woman could have won that tiebreak - I actually thought it would be Venus with her experience, particularly when Stephens double-faulted. Venus is really swinging at Stephens’s first serves, without much success. Stephens takes the opening game.
Stephens wins the first set 7-6
Venus hits out to bring up set point. But Stephens then double faults before recovering to take the set.
First set tiebreak: Stephens 5-4 Williams*
Venus throws away her advantage with a wildly overhit forehand. Just a bad, bad shot. A Stephens backhand down the line changes the momentum of the tiebreak.
First set tiebreak: *Stephens 3-4 Williams
The wind is really swirling now, causing problems for both players. Williams gets the mini-break though.
First set tiebreak: Stephens 2-3 Williams*
Stephens mishits on the first of Venus’s serves. A good rally next up and Venus throws away her advantage.
First set tiebreak: *Stephens 1-2 Williams
Venus sends a forehand long on Stephens’s first serve but Venus gets a mini-break after approaching the net on the next point.
First set tiebreak: Stephens 0-1 Williams*
Venus serves long but Stephens nets her return.
First set: *Stephens 6-6 Williams
The TV switches to see Andy Murray take out his first-round match. And switches back as Stephens - once she’s sorted out her ball toss - take the set to a tiebreak.
First set: Stephens 5-6 Williams*
Stephens makes her move - and is 0-30 up after a couple of strong returns. Venus has been good at the net today though - she has won all seven points and Venus brings it back to 40-30. Appropriately, Venus wins the game at the net.
First set: *Stephens 5-5 Williams
It’s been a strangely flat atmosphere so far, possibly because half the crowd appear to have left for their dinner. It’s clearly affected the players too - there have been no whoops or fist pumps. We want our fist pumps! Venus does allow herself a nod of pleasure when she drives a forehand down the line. But she dumps the ball into the net at 40-15 to give Stephens the game.
First set: Stephens 4-5 Williams*
Venus looks in control of the game - and seems destined to go 40-0 up when she sends a forehand out wide. But Stephens recovers well, and the shock perhaps explains why Venus nets her next shot. It doesn’t explain why she then sends a forehand long to make it 30-30. An awkward serve into the body is sent out by Stephens though to seal the game for Williams.
First set: *Stephens 4-4 Williams
John McEnroe is not happy about the Rangers capitulation against Tampa Bay in the NHL playoffs. I can feel his wrath from across the Atlantic. Stephens is doing a Lightning on Venus here: she’s 40-0 up before Venus has time to look up. A careless swipe from Venus hands the younger player the game.
First set: Stephens 3-4 Williams*
Venus, the once and future Wimbledon champion, looked like one in that game. Her serve is too strong for Stephens and her strong serve has her opponent on the ropes. Stephens recovers with a lovely, slashing backhand that Williams can only stand and admire. A lucky net cord seals the game for Venus though.
First set: *Stephens 3-3 Williams
The TV crew are speculating that Venus still has another Wimbledon title in her. She last got to the last eight in 2010. So. Hmmm. Stephens holds.
First set: Stephens 2-3 Williams*
Neither player is being particularly patient on a court that demands perhaps a little circumspection. Still, it’s entertaining for the crowd. A nice volley sets Venus up at 40-15 and a backhand down the line takes the game.
First set: *Stephens 2-2 Williams
Venus stings a backhand down the line to make it 15-15, the best moment for her so far this match. Until she sends a cross-court forehand beyond Stephens’s reach. A horrible mishit from Stephens takes us to deuce. She recovers though, for her first hold of the match.
First set: Stephens 1-2 Williams*
Venus is playing in her 18th French Open. Not too bad. She’s also coming into the tournament with 20 wins this year, so Stephens is up against Venus in good form, and in a place she’s familiar with. There’s a swirling wind on court, which may have caused problems for Stephens’ serve in the last game. No matter, she’s soon 15-40 up and an unforced error from Venus helps Stephens break back.
First set: *Stephens 0-2 Williams
The game gets underway with some tasty baseline shots from both women. Stephens falls behind 0-15 when she overhits a forehand. Venus has only been beyond the last-eight once in Paris. Stephens isn’t quite the player she was a year or so ago though. A backhand is called out to take it to 15-40 - Stephens asks for the mark to be checked but the umpire confirms the call. She then sends a forehand long and Venus breaks at the first time of asking.
First set: Stephens 0-1 Williams*
Venus starts off with a hold on her serve - sorry, the broadcast came over late so that’s all you’ll get from that game. Things will get better. They MUST get better. Otherwise, I’m fired.
Preamble So, the old order of US women’s tennis meets the new(ish) order in Paris today. Venus is actually, the oldest player from ANY nation in the women’s draw this year. She had a good start to the year, winning the title in Auckland but has struggled on clay failing to get beyond the last 16 in Madrid or Rome. She has reached the final here - but that was in 2002.
Stephens has a much better record on clay - she’s reached the fourth round here for the last three years, and reached the semi-finals in Strasbourg recently.
As for head-to-head, these two have never met before, so someone’s unbeaten record is coming to an end today. An unimpressive unbeaten record, mind.
Tom will be here shortly, in the meantime here’s the latest from the men’s draw:
As the first 17-year-old American in the French Open men’s singles since Michael Chang won the 1989 title, Frances Tiafoe learned a valuable lesson from a straight-set loss in his Grand Slam debut.
“I need,” Tiafoe said with a chuckle, “to get a lot better.”
Tiafoe, from College Park, Maryland, earned a wild card from the US Tennis Association for the main draw at Roland Garros, a year after playing in the junior tournament in Paris. On tiny Court 5 – with a seating capacity of 379, and no television coverage – Tiafoe went out quickly on Monday, beaten 6-2, 6-1, 6-4 by 36th-ranked Martin Klizan of Slovakia.
“In juniors, like, a lot of people were looking up to me last year, when I was the [No1] seed. Now I’m looking up to everyone here,” Tiafoe said. “It was definitely a lot different. But, I mean, I’ve got to get used to it, I guess.”
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