PARIS: Alexander Zverev, the man seen as a potential French Open champion, crashed out in the first round Tuesday as world number one Andy Murray and former winner Stan Wawrinka moved through.

Zverev, just 20 and fresh from his sensational Rome Masters demolition of Novak Djokovic, slumped to a 6-4, 3-6, 6-4, 6-2 defeat to Spain’s Fernando Verdasco, 13 years his senior.

“Life goes on, it’s not a tragedy,” Zverev said. “In Rome I played fantastic, I won the tournament. Here I played bad, I lost first round. That’s the way it goes.”

In a match controversially suspended on Monday at one set each, Zverev was defeated in a fog of mistakes and despondency.

The beanpole German committed 50 unforced errors and drew jeers from the Philippe Chatrier court crowd when he took out his frustration by hammering his racquet into the clay.

Left-handed Verdasco, playing his 14th Roland Garros and 56th consecutive major, had lost to Zverev in the first round on clay in Madrid earlier this year.

But he is an experienced Grand Slam competitor, making the last 16 in Paris on five occasions.

“I practised really hard before this match against a great player like Alexander and I am super happy to be here on this court,” said Verdasco who next plays France’s Pierre-Hugues Herbert.

“Maybe it was my experience. You have to be ready emotionally and physically because it can be a long match.”

Murray, the 2016 runner-up to Djokovic, shrugged off a second set wobble to defeat Russia’s Andrey Kuznetsov 6-4, 4-6, 6-2, 6-0.

Top seed Murray will play Martin Klizan of Slovakia who was accused a faking an injury in his five-set win over French wildcard Laurent Lokoli.

Lokoli was so angry at Klizan’s actions on court that he refused to shake hands with his opponent.

Third seed and 2015 champion Wawrinka was an easy winner, defeating Slovakian qualifier Jozef Kovalik 6-2, 7-6 (8/6), 6-3.

Juan Martin del Potro marked his return to the French Open after an absence of five years by defeating Argentine compatriot Guido Pella 6-2, 6-1, 6-4.

Japanese eighth seed Kei Nishikori was also a first-round winner, beating unranked Thanasi Kokkinakis of Australia 4-6, 6-1, 6-4, 6-4.

Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-Wei, the world number 109, stunned seventh seed Johanna Konta 1-6, 7-6 (7/2), 6-4.

Konta is the second top 10 woman to lose in the first three days after world number one Angelique Kerber was also dumped out in the first round.

“I tried very hard and gave myself a big chance. Every time I tried to run as fast as I can and get the ball back,” said Hsieh, who won for the just the second time in seven trips to Roland Garros.

Konta has yet to win one match in the main draw in three attempts.

There were no such problems for fifth-seeded Rome champion Elina Svitolina as the 2015 quarter-finalist defeated Yaroslava Shvedova of Kazakhstan 6-4, 6-3.

Tuesday’s results (prefix number denotes seeding):

Men’s singles:

First round: 1-Andy Murray (Britain) bt Andrey Kuznetsov (Russia) 6-4, 4-6, 6-2, 6-0; 15-Gael Monfils (France) bt Dustin Brown (Germany) 6-4, 7-5, 6-0; Paolo Lorenzi (Italy) bt Ricardas Berankis (Lithuania) 6-0, 6-2, 6-4; 8-Kei Nishikori (Japan) bt Thanasi Kokkinakis (Australia) 4-6, 6-1, 6-4, 6-4; Karen Khachanov (Russia) bt Nicolas Jarry (Chile) 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (7-4), 6-1; Jeremy Chardy (France) bt Radu Albot (Moldova) 6-2, 6-4, 7-6 (7-3); Nicolas Almagro (Spain) bt Marcos Baghdatis (Cyprus) 6-7 (3-7), 6-4, 6-3, 7-6 (7-1); Kevin Anderson (South Africa) bt Malek Jaziri (Tunisia) 7-6 (7-4), 6-3, 7-6 (7-4); Fernando Verdasco (Spain) bt 9-Alexander Zverev (Germany) 6-4, 3-6, 6-4, 6-2; Chung Hyeon (South Korea) bt 27-Sam Querrey (US) 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, 6-3; Martin Klizan (Slovakia) bt Laurent Lokoli (France) 7-6 (7-4), 6-3, 4-6, 0-6, 6-4; 3-Stan Wawrinka (Switzerland) bt Jozef Kovalik (Slovakia) 6-2, 7-6 (8-6), 6-3; Alexandr Dolgopolov (Ukraine) bt Carlos Berlocq (Argentina) 7-5, 6-3, 6-4; Denis Istomin (Uzbekistan) bt Ernesto Escobedo (US) 7-6 (7-3), 6-3, 6-4; 18-Nick Kyrgios (Australia) bt Philipp Kohlschreiber (Germany) 6-3, 7-6 (7-4), 6-3; 29-Juan Martin del Potro (Argentina) bt Guido Pella (Argentina) 6-2, 6-1, 6-4.

Women’s singles:

First round: Tatjana Maria (Germany) bt Duan Yingying (China) 6-4, 6-1; Marketa Vondrousova (Czech Republic) bt Amandine Hesse (France) 6-1, 6-0; Alison Van Uytvanck (Belgium) bt Naomi Osaka (Japan) 6-3, 7-5; 20-Barbora Strycova (Czech Republic) bt Alison Riske (US) 6-3, 6-0; 28-Caroline Garcia (France) bt Nao Hibino (Japan) 6-2, 6-2; 12-Madison Keys (US) bt Ashleigh Barty (Australia) 6-3, 6-2; Petra Martic (Croatia) bt Kateryna Bondarenko (Ukraine) 6-2, 7-5; Alize Cornet (France) bt Timea Babos (Hungary) 6-2, 6-7 (5-7), 6-2; Hsieh Su-Wei (Taiwan) bt 7-Johanna Konta (Britain) 1-6, 7-6 (7-2), 6-4; 21-Carla Suarez Navarro (Spain) bt Maria Sakkari (Greece) 6-4, 6-2; 5-Elina Svitolina (Ukraine) bt Yaroslava Shvedova (Kazakhstan) 6-4, 6-3; Tsvetana Pironkova (Bulgaria) bt Mona Barthel (Germany) 6-0, 6-4; Taylor Townsend (US) bt Miyu Kato (Japan) 6-4, 6-0; Sorana Cirstea (Romania) bt Peng Shuai (China) 6-3, 6-1.

Monday’s remaining results:

Men’s singles:

First round: 28-Fabio Fognini (Italy) bt Frances Tiafoe (US) 6-4, 6-3, 3-6, 1-6, 6-0; Pierre-Hugues Herbert (France) bt Jared Donaldson (US) 6-4, 7-6 (7-5), 6-4; Victor Estrella (Dominican Republic) bt Teymuraz Gabashvili (Russia) 6-7 (9-11), 2-6, 7-6 (7-3) 6-3, 6-2; 22-Pablo Cuevas (Uruguay) bt Maxime Hamou (France) 6-3, 6-2, 6-4; 30-David Ferrer (Spain) bt Donald Young (US) 5-7, 6-3, 4-6, 6-3, 13-11; 24-Richard Gasquet (France) bt Arthur De Greef (Belgium) 6-2, 3-6, 6-1, 6-3; Nicolas Kicker (Argentina) bt Damir Dzumhur (Bosnia and Herzegovina) 6-3, 2-6, 6-3, 6-4.

Women’s singles:

First round: 14-Elena Vesnina (Russia) bt Beatriz Haddad Maia (Brazil) 6-2, 3-6, 6-4; Carina Witthoeft (Germany) bt 25-Lauren Davis (US) 2-6, 6-3, 6-3; Magdalena Rybarikova (Slovakia) bt 19-CoCo Vandeweghe (US) 6-1, 6-4; Veronica Cepede Royg (Paraguay) bt Lucie Safarova (Czech Republic) 6-1, 6-4; Varvara Lepchenko (US) bt Andrea Petkovic (Germany) 6-4, 3-6, 6-3; 13-Kristina Mladenovic (France) bt Jennifer Brady (US) 3-6, 6-3, 9-7; Pauline Parmentier (France) bt Irina Khromacheva (Russia) 6-3, 6-0.

Published in Dawn, May 31st, 2017