French Open: Sixth seed Bianca Andreescu knocked out in first round

Canada`s Bianca Andreescu returns the ball to Slovenia`s Tamara Zidansek during their women`s singles first round tennis match on Day 2 of The Roland Garros 2021 French Open tennis tournament in Paris. Pic/AFP

Sixth seed Bianca Andreescu was dumped out of the French Open in the first round on Monday, losing a marathon three-set clash to Slovenia's world number 85 Tamara Zidansek. Zidansek, who will face American Madison Brengle in the second round, won 6-7 (1/7), 7-6 (7/2), 9-7 after three hours and 20 minutes.

Canada's Andreescu, the injury-plagued 2019 US Open champion, had been a fitness doubt for the tournament after pulling out of an event in Strasbourg last Wednesday. But she was forced into a gruelling deciding set against Zidansek, which saw the world number seven fail to serve out the match at 5-4 and then save a match point two games later.

Zidansek created two more match points in the 16th game of the third set and needed only one to wrap up victory. The longest women's singles match in French Open history remains Virginie Buisson's first-round win over fellow Frenchwoman Noelle van Lottum in 1995, which lasted four hours and seven minutes.

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