Angelique Kerber is the first women’s No. 1 seed to lose in the French Open’s first round in the Open era.
Kerber lost 6-2, 6-2 to the 40th-ranked Ekaterina Makarova of Russia.
Makarova broke Kerber’s serve twice in the opening set and did so again in the second, racing into a 3-0 lead.
Kerber appeared to get back into the match when she recovered one break but the German immediately dropped her serve again.
There was another rapid exchange of breaks before Makarova sealed the result on her first match point with a forehand down the line after recovering from 40-0 down.
Kerber now has just two wins from her past four tournaments.
