New Zealand players have experienced varying results at the French Open in Paris, with a win and a loss in doubles and success in the mixed doubles.
Erin Routliffe and Leylah Fernandez had to battle back from a set down against the Chinese pair of Guo Hanyu and Jiang Xinyu in their delayed first round match at Roland Garros on Sunday (Monday NZ Time).
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They eventually won the match 3-6 6-4 6-3 in two hours and five minutes to advance to the second round, where they will play the Japanese duo Eri Hozumi and Makoto Ninomiya, who are both doubles specialists.
The Chinese pair were twice up a break in the second set, but Routliffe and Fernandez won four out of the next five games to take the match the full distance.
In the third set, Routliffe held to love In the next game for a 5-2 lead and the following game, on Jiang’s serve, the score went to deuce three times before Routliffe and Fernandez got their first match point.
But on it, they both went for a ball hit down the middle and Routliffe could only manage to spoon it into the net.
The No 9 seeds got another match point soon after and this time Fernandez put a return into the net and the game ended up being a hold for Jiang.
On Fernandez’s serve in the next game, she got out to a 40-15 lead and on that match point Jiang put a forehand into the net.
Routliffe also played the first round of the mixed doubles with Michael Venus, where they defeated Chan Hao-Ching from Chinese Taipei and Monaco's Hugo Nys 6-4 6-3.
In the next round, the No 6 seeds play the French pairing of Clara Burel and Hugo Gaston. This will be the fourth match on Court 14 on Monday.
Unfortunately, for Venus he was beaten in the men's doubles second round with Jamie Murray.
They lost to the French duo Lucas Pouille and Gregoire Barrere 6-4 7-6(6) in front of a vocal crowd on Court Simonne-Mathieu on Sunday.
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