Angelique Kerber starred on Monday for the first negative surprise of the day when she fell in the first round against the American Bernarda Pera, with very bad feelings. The German, champion of the Australian Open in 2016 and former world number one, lost by a resounding 6-0 and 6-4, in just 70 minutes, against the American Bernarda Pera (26 years and 63rd in the world).
Kerber had not played badly at all in the Grampians Trophy, a tournament she played as one of the players who had to remain confined for 14 days, without leaving the room, for having been in contact with a positive case of COVID. Maria Sakkari dropped her from that extra event in the quarters after the Teuton had easily beaten Jabeur. Before Pera the lights went out, made 25 errors, seven from double faults. Pera will meet Kazakh Zarina Diyas in the second round.
Osaka starts strong
Another champion, but in 2019, the Japanese Naomi Osaka, had no problem getting rid of the Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, whom she beat 6-1, 6-2 in 68 minutes. Osaka won 81% of points with first serves and only committed 11 errors. She conceded a break, in the fifth game of the first set, and she added five. Now he will run into a more complicated rival a priori, the French Caroline García, who could with the Slovenian Polona Hercog (7-6 (6) and 6-3). The winner of the last edition of Roland Garros also advanced, Poland's Iga Swiatek, seeded for the first time in a major, overcame the Dutch Rus (6-1, 6-3) in two sets. They will face the Italian Camila Giorgi on Wednesday, who defeated the Kazakh Shvedova (double 6-3). Czech Marketa Vondrousova (19th) had a hard time coming back in her encounter with Sweden's Rebecca Peterson, whom she beat 2-6, 7-5 and 7-5. It will be crossed with the Canadian from the previous Marino.
Andreescu plays and wins 467 after
Bianca Andreescu, who had not played since retiring in the WTA Finals group stage match against Karolina Pliskova on October 30, 2019, played again 467 later and beat the Romanian Mihaela Buzarnescu with difficulties: 6-2, 4-6 and 6-3 in 2h: 02. The Canadian, champion two years ago at the US Open, where she beat Serena Williams in the final, celebrated the victory with emotion and to the applause of the John Cain Arena crowd. In the second round it is the uncomfortable Taiwanese Su-Wei Hsieh.
Halep and Kvitova do not fail
Two of the big favorites for the title, Simona Halep (2nd) and Petra Kvitova (9th) solved their first matches with some comfort, more for the Romanian, who beat Australia's Cabrera 6-2 and 6-1 in 59 minutes and will face another local player, Alja Tomljanovic, who swept Japan's Misaki Doi with the same result: 6-2 and 6-1. Kvitova, meanwhile, was behind in the first set against Belgian Minnen (4-1), but reacted and won by 6-3 and 6-4 to meet the Romanian Begu in the next phase. Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka (7th) gave a good account of Slovakian Kuzmova (6-0, 6-4) and will play against the dangerous Russian Daria Kasatkina. The Kazakh Elena Rybakina suffered to carry out her duel against the Russian Zvonareva, which she finally beat 4-6, 6-4 and 6-4 to face the French Fiona Ferro.
Table and results.