French Open: Victoria Azarenka thrashed in second round at Roland Garros
This month’s US Open finalist was beaten in straight sets on the Paris clay
Victoria Azarenka's unhappy French Open campaign ended on Wednesday as the former world No1 was beaten 6-2 6-2 by Slovakia's Anna Karolina Schmiedlova in the second round.
The Belarussian, who moaned about the cold and damp Paris conditions in her opening-round win, capitulated in feeble fashion against her 161st-ranked opponent.
Schmiedlova, who is playing with a protected ranking after undergoing knee surgery in 2019, has enjoyed a stunning return to form in Paris, having beaten Venus Williams in round one at Roland Garros.
That win over Williams ended a run of 12 consecutive first-round losses in Grand Slams and she backed that up with a commanding display against an error-prone Azarenka.
Tenth seed Azarenka, runner-up at the US Open this month, double-faulted to drop serve in the opening game when play finally started on Court Simonne-Mathieu after yet another rain delay. And it did not get much better for the 31-year-old.
Schmiedlova, 26, only experienced one real moment of alarm – at 1-1 in the second set – when she slipped and landed heavily on her left knee and required treatment.
But she showed no ill-effects as she moved into a 5-2 lead with a couple of breaks of serve.
Schmiedlova brought up match point with a forehand winner and sealed victory as Azarenka fired a 37th unforced error.
Earlier in the day, Serena Williams announced her withdrawal from the tournament
Reuters
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