Americans in Paris: Keys rolls, Navarro ousted, Pera tops Garcia
Two of the four Americans currently ranked inside the Top 10 of the PIF WTA Rankings were in action at Roland Garros on Monday -- and there were mixed fortunes for the pair. Spain's Jessica Bouzas Maniero scored the first big upset of Roland Garros in the early hours of Monday afternoon, defeating No. 9 seed Emma Navarro with the loss of just one game, before Australian Open champion Madison Keys, the No. 5 seed, rolled into Round 2 by topping a hampered Daria Saville in under an hour.
Roland Garros: Draws | Scores | 411
Bouzas Maneiro came within two points of shutting out the World No. 9, a feat no one has pulled off against a Top 10 player at a Slam since Martina Navratilova blanked Manuela Maleeva in 1989. After sweeping the first 11 games, a double fault on break point gave Navarro her lone hold. Bouzas Maneiro still closed out a 6-0, 6-1 win, notching her first Roland Garros main-draw victory in just over an hour.
"Right now, I feel really happy with how I played today, with how I handled the pressure," Bouzas Maneiro said in her on-court interview with International Tennis Hall of Famer Mats Wilander. "I wanted to do my best, and I think I did it."
Bouzas Maneiro's 57-minute triumph marked her second career Top 10 win after she defeated then-defending champion Marketa Vondrousova at Wimbledon last summer -- and the heaviest defeat for a Top 10 player in a completed match at Roland Garros in 12 years.
And with it, she fulfilled a promise to her team.
"It's funny because my team just told me, 'Is it possible to win a match in two sets?' because my last matches were all three sets ... and I was like, 'I'll try,'" she said.
"So this one is for you guys, one hour!"
Later in the day, Keys also needed just 58 minutes to top former Top 20 player Saville 6-2, 6-1, who had won three matches in qualifying to reach the main draw. Saville broke serve to start the match, and her counter-punching style frustrated Keys in the match's first five games. But mid-match, the Aussie took an off-court medical timeout for a lower body injury, and looked hampered in movement around the court for the duration as her footwork lacked its patented explosiveness.
Four of the six American women in action throughout the afternoon Monday also advanced, with Bernarda Pera notably handing former World No. 4 Caroline Garcia a 6-4, 6-4 defeat in her final singles match at her home major. The Frenchwoman had announced her imminent retirement from tennis on the eve of the tournament, though she will play "a few" more tournaments this year as well as doubles in Paris with fellow Frenchwoman Diane Parry.
Danielle Collins and Robin Montgomery were straight-set winners over Brit Jodie Burrage and Parry, respectively, while Caroline Dolehide came from a set behind to top Belgian Greet Minnen in the late evening.
