Britons crash out of French Open as focus turns to grass

After a three-day opening salvo at Roland Garros, there are no Brits left standing.

- KIERAN JACKSON

As the clock hit 23:30 local time, under the shadow of Court Suzanne Lenglen amid an ebullient atmosphere on Court 9, Katie Boulter missed out on a first win at the French Open in a tight final-set loss. And she wasn’t the only Brit to experience one of those this week.

On paper, as she embarked on a main draw debut here as the 26th seed, it was a tough draw to be on the end of. Paula Badosa is a former world number two whose ranking has plummeted as a result of a stress fracture in her back putting her out of action for the best part of six months. Two players, in identical violetcoloured outfits, who both play a strikingly similar hard-hitting baseline game.

The rallies, particularly by the end, were lengthy and could have gone either way. Boulter will no doubt want a few rash volleys at the net back and, in hindsight, she didn’t put her opponent to the sword when up a set and 4-2. Yet Badosa did not surrender and, as Boulter smacked one final forehand into the net, it was the Spaniard who let out a gigantic roar as the victor of this twohour-plus tussle.

It was another case of close but no cigar. Out of six Brits competing in the singles, six have lost. It is the first time since the Covid-altered autumnal French Open of 2020 that there is no British representation in the second round of the singles.

It’s no crisis, it should be said. As well as Dan Evans who lost to 13th seed Holger Rune yesterday, two have succumbed as the pre-match formbook would suggest, with Andy Murray and Harriet Dart underdogs against Stan Wawrinka and Linda Noskova. Six entries in the first place is no mean feat and for half of them, the margins were fine. The five-set defeats for lefties Cameron Norrie and Jack Draper will have been disappointing.