Teenager Potapova shocks Kerber

Roger Federer marked his return to Roland Garros after a four-year absence with a straight sets win over Italy’s Lorenzo Sonego on Sunday, admitting he “felt on edge”, as Angelique Kerber’s hopes of completing a career Grand Slam suffered a quick kill.

Federer, a 20-time major winner, hadn’t played the tournament since 2015 when he reached the quarterfinals.

However, on Sunday, it was as if the 37-year-old had never been away as he swept to a 6-2, 6-4, 6-4 victory in one hour 41 minutes on a packed, rebuilt Court Philippe Chatrier.

“I felt on edge at the start, my heart was beating crazily,” said Federer. “I felt great playing on this court. It looks very attractive, so congratulations to everyone involved.

“Hopefully I can play here again for my next match.”

That match will be against German lucky loser Oscar Otte who won just his second match in eight years on the tour by seeing off Malek Jaziri of Tunisia 6-3, 6-1, 4-6, 6-0.

Federer broke serve five times and fired 36 winners past 24-year-old Sonego, the world number 73 who made the quarterfinals at the Monte Carlo Masters.

German fifth seed and reigning Wimbledon champion Kerber saw her hopes of a career Grand Slam ended by Russian teenager Anastasia Potapova.

Kerber slumped to a 6-4, 6-2 defeat to 18-year-old Potapova who was making her French Open debut.

“Kerber is actually one of my idols, and when I was young I was looking for her game,” said the 81st-ranked Russian.

Kerber, 31, has now lost six times in the French Open first round. The German left-hander had come into Roland Garros carrying a right ankle injury which forced her to pull out of the Italian Open and retire from her second round tie in Madrid..

“I didn’t have many expectations coming in,” said Kerber, who was broken six times in the match.

Greek sixth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas, who stunned Federer on his way to the Australian Open semi-finals and beat 11-time Roland Garros champion Rafael Nadal in Madrid, also made the second round.

The 20-year-old sixth seed brushed aside Germany’s Maximilian Marterer 6-2, 6-2, 7-6 (7/4).

The new Court Simonne Mathieu, a 5,000-capacity semi-sunken arena enclosed by greenhouses, was officially unveiled on Sunday.

It forms part of the 350 million euro upgrade of the entire site which will also see the demolition of the Court 1 ‘bullring’ after the 2018 tournament.

Spain’s Garbine Muguruza, the 2016 champion, had the honour of opening proceedings against America’s Taylor Townsend and the 19th seed marked the occasion with a 5-7, 6-2, 6-2 win.

Other winners on the first day included Japanese seventh seed Kei Nishikori, who eased past France’s Quentin Halys 6-2, 6-3, 6-4.

However, Italian 16th seed Marco Cecchinato fell at the first hurdle, losing to 37-year-old Frenchman Nicolas Mahut 2-6, 6-7 (6/8), 6-4, 6-2, 6-4.

Canada teenager Felix Auger-Aliassime withdrew from the tournament with a thigh injury. The 18-year-old was seeded 25 and had been due to face Australia’s Jordan Thompson in the first round on his maiden appearance in the main draw in Paris.

Auger-Aliassime’s spot in the first round draw has been taken by Spanish lucky loser Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.

Second seed Karolina Pliskova closed play on Chatrier with a 6-2, 6-3 win over Madison Brengle of the United States.

Ninth seed Elina Svitolina knocked Venus Williams out with a comfortable 6-3, 6-3 first-round victory. The Ukrainian will face compatriot Kateryna Kozlova for a place in the third round

Prajnesh falls

India’s Prajnesh Gunneswaran came up well short against Hugo Dellien of Bolivia in his first round match, as the former fell 1-6, 3-6, 1-6 in an hour and 15 minutes.

Dellien, ranked 92, broke his opponent twice in all three sets, while Prajnesh saved two in the first, and made 15 unforced errors to his opponent’s 34 to clinch a routine win.

This was Prajnesh’s first French Open main draw match.

Results (Rd. 1): Men: 6-Stefanos Tsitsipas (Gre) bt Maximilian Marterer (Ger) 6-2, 6-2, 7-6 (7/4); Hugo Dellien (Bol) bt Prajnesh Gunneswaran (Ind) 6-1, 6-3, 6-1; Grigor Dimitrov (Bul) bt Janko Tipsarevic (Srb) 6-3, 6-0, 3-6, 6-7 (4/7), 6-4; 11-Marin Cilic (Cro) bt Thomas Fabbiano (Ita) 6-3, 7-5, 6-1; 29-Matteo Berrettini (Ita) bt Pablo Andújar (Esp) 6-7 (3/7), 6-4, 6-4, 6-2; 3-Roger Federer (Sui) bt Lorenzo Sonego (Ita) 6-2, 6-4, 6-4; 7-Kei Nishikori (Jpn) bt Quentin Halys (Fra) 6-2, 6-3, 6-4.

Women: 19-Garbine Muguruza (Esp) bt Taylor Townsend (US) 5-7, 6-2, 6-2; 15-Belinda Bencic (Sui) bt Jessika Ponchet (Fra) 6-1, 6-4; Anastasia Potapova (Rus) bt 5-Angelique Kerber (Ger) 6-4, 6-2.