French Open 2016: Heather Watson eliminated in round two by former champion Svetlana Kuznetsova
Great Britain will have no female singles players competing in round three at the 2016 French Open after Heather Watson was defeated during the early stages of day four at Roland Garros. The 24-year-old, who beat American Nicole Gibbs in a rain-delayed contest on Monday (23 May), lost in straight sets to 2009 champion and number 13 seed Svetlana Kuznetsova.
Guernsey-born Watson, ranked 54th in the world and relegated to British No2 status after Johanna Konta's remarkable rise in 2015, failed to win a single service game in the first set and quickly faced a daunting deficit. She secured a break on a double fault in the first game of the second set, yet quickly relinquished her own serve once more.
Kuznetsova claimed six of seven available break points in total and hit 19 winners en route to an emphatic 6-1, 6-3 victory for the two-time Grand Slam winner. Watson follows compatriots Konta and Laura Robson in exiting the tournament, with that aforementioned duo suffering first-round losses at the hands of Julia Goerges and Andrea Petkovic. Naomi Broady was also eliminated by Coco Vandeweghe.
Following his tiring five-set comeback victory over experienced qualifier Radek Stepanek on Tuesday, Andy Murray is back in action later on Wednesday against little-known Frenchman Mathias Bourgue. Davis Cup teammate Kyle Edmund is also bidding to reach round three for the very first time against 15th seed John Isner. Aljaz Bedene plays Pablo Carreno-Busta tomorrow (26 May) morning after overcoming Gerald Melzer in four sets.
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