Staff Reporter.
Defending champion Iga Swiatek celebrated her 20th birthday with victory over Slovenia’s Kaja Juvan in the French Open first round.
The Polish eighth seed beat her best friend on the tour 6-0 7-5.
“She didn’t give me any birthday gifts so I’m really happy I could win those important points,” Swiatek said in her on-court interview.
But 2019 US Open champion Bianca Andreescu became the highest-ranked player to exit the women’s draw.
The Canadian sixth seed lost 6-7 (1-7) 7-6 (7-2) 9-7 to world number 85 Tamara Zidansek of Slovenia.
There was also disappointment for Dutch 16th seed Kiki Bertens, who was beaten 6-1 3-6 6-4 by Slovenia’s Polona Hercog.
British number one Johanna Konta, seeded 19th, is playing Romanian Sorana Cirstea after compatriot Heather Watson lost 5-4 7-5 to Kazakhstan’s Zarina Diyas earlier in the day.
Among the other players who are opening their campaigns on Monday are American 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams, who faces Romanian Irina-Camelia Begu in the French Open’s first night session (20:00 BST).
Meanwhile Cameron Norrie is the only British player left in the French Open singles after Johanna Konta and Heather Watson lost their first-round matches.
Norrie reached the second round of the men’s event by beating American Bjorn Fratangelo 7-5 7-6 (7-5) 6-2.
British women’s number one Konta, seeded 19th, lost 7-6 (7-5) 6-2 to Romania’s Sorana Cirstea.
Earlier, Watson also made a first-round exit with a straight-set defeat by Kazakhstan’s Zarina Diyas.
Watson, yet to progress beyond the second round in Paris, lost 6-4 7-5 as she was unable to pick up her first tour-level win since the Australian Open in February.
British number two Norrie will play South African Lloyd Harris or Italian 26th seed Lorenzo Sonego after seeing off qualifier Fratangelo.
Norrie could meet 13-time winner Rafael Nadal in the third round should he find a way past either Harris or Sonego.
The in-form 25-year-old boasts the third highest number of ATP match wins this year (after Stefanos Tsitsipas and Andrey Rublev) and ensured British presence in round two of the men’s draw following Dan Evans’ defeat by Serbia’s Miomir Kecmanovic on day one.
Although he remains without a first ATP title following defeats in the final of the Lyon Open and Estoril Open earlier in May, world number 45 Norrie continued his momentum with a 24th victory in 2021.