French Open: China’s Wang Xinyu, Wang Xiyu win openers as Ukraine’s Kostyuk keeps focus
China’s top-ranked player has tough start while Chinese qualifier wins in straights sets; Ukrainian says parents’ house almost hit by missile
Marta Kostyuk, the 15th seed from Ukraine, and China’s 32nd-ranked Wang Xinyu were among the early winners as the French Open got under way under a blazing sun at Roland Garros on Sunday.
Wang, China’s top-ranked player in Paris after Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen crashed out of the top 50 in the latest rankings, beat Austria’s Lilli Tagger 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 in just over two hours.
The 24-year-old from Guangdong will now face either Germany’s Tamara Korpatsch or Spain’s Sara Sorribes Tormo in the second round.
Another Chinese player, qualifier Wang Xiyu, defeated Danka Kovinic of Montenegro 6-3, 6-1, and will now play either 26th-seed American Hailey Baptiste or Barbora Krejcikova of the Czech Republic.
Kostyuk made short work of Oksana Selekhmeteva with a 6-2, 6-3 win and said she was proud of how she remained focused even as the effects of the war in her country hit closer to home.
The 23-year-old Rouen and Madrid champion extended her winning streak on clay this season to 12 matches but said the result was overshadowed by news of a missile strike near her parents’ home in Ukraine earlier on Sunday.