Annika Beck grabs surprise win
May 25, 2015Annika Beck has grabbed a surprise victory against world number 14 Agnieszka Radwanska at the French Open on Monday. The Bonn-based player won in three sets (6-2, 3-6, 6-1) after successfully converting her third match point against the Pole.
It was the 21-year-old's first win on clay this season, after five losses in the first round of tournaments leading up to Paris.
In the next round Beck will have a good chance for another victory, when she takes on Polish qualifier Paula Kania.
Meanwhile, Angelique Kerber and Sabine Lisicki have both won their first games at Roland Garros comfortably, in what was a successful day for Germany's women.
Three days after forfeiting a match due to a back injury in Nuremberg, Kerber cruised to a 6-0, 6-1 victory over Hungarian Timea Babos. After just 50 minutes of play Kerber won the match, on her first match point opportunity. She will now meet Ajla Tomljanovic from Australia in the second round.
World number 20 Sabine Lisicki also won her match comfortably, 6-3, 6-2, against Monica Puig from Puerto Rico in just over an hour. The Berliner was pleased with her performance on what is not normally her best surface, clay.
"This is the last clay tournament of the year," she said after the match. "You have to give it your all."
"Winning my first match in two sets is exactly what I was hoping for."
Mona Barthel was the only German to bow out on Monday, after losing in three sets to Kania. The loss continues her poor form: it's now the sixth time in a row that the world number 41 has exited a tournament in the first round.
al/asz (dpa, SID)