Storm Hunter showed glimpses of brilliance against former world No.3 Elina Svitolina, but ultimately got blown away in their second-round encounter at the French Open.
Rockhampton’s Hunter, who hails from the same Queensland town as a rather better-known tennis southpaw Rod Laver, started off playing a match the great man would have been proud of at Roland Garros on Wednesday.
Storm Hunter (pictured) was ultimately no match for Elina Svitolina, who is playing her way back up the rankings after taking time off to have a baby.Credit: Getty Images
But the storm blew itself out after the first set as qualifier Hunter eventually succumbed 2-6, 6-3, 6-1 to the quality Ukrainian whose successful, politically charged return to the circuit after giving birth to a daughter has been a big talking point at the Paris grand slam.
Hunter, better known as a world-class doubles player, proved unstoppable in the opening set, completely dominating her opponent behind a cracking forehand that produced 11 winners.
But watched by husband, French star Gael Monfils, Svitolina clawed her way back, wearing Hunter down with the accuracy of her groundstrokes.
Svitolina, whose ranking is now a misleading 192 after her time off, again looked a player to be avoided in the draw as she reeled off eight of the last nine games to seal victory after an hour and 49 minutes.
On an ultimately disappointing morning for the Australians, Queenslander Jason Kubler also departed in the men’s second round, beaten by the veteran Italian Fabio Fognini 6-4, 7-6 (7-5), 6-2.
Jason Kubler (pictured) met his match in Italian veteran Fabio Fognini.Credit: Getty Images
Out on court 6, world No.69 Kubler found the mercurial 36-year-old Fognini, who’s dropped to 130 in the rankings, to be on one of his more focused days.
The key was the second-set breaker in which Fognini forced four errors from Kubler before the man from San Remo went on to seal the final set with two more of his seven breaks, ending with a glorious forehand winner, his 25th in all.
Elsewhere on Wednesday, men’s fifth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas had little trouble against Spaniard Roberto Carballes Baena, winning 6-3, 7-6 (7-4), 6-2, but Sebastian Korda, the tournament’s 24th seed, fell in straight sets to Austrian Sebastian Ofner.
In the first update of the day in the women’s draw, Russian Anna Blinkova beat fifth seed Caroline Garcia, of France, 4-6, 6-3, 7-5.
No such worries for third seed Jessica Pegula, who got an easy pass after Italian Camila Giorgi retired after the first set.
American Peyton Stearns, meanwhile, dumped Latvian 17th seed Jelena Ostapenko out in three topsy-turvy sets 6-3, 1-6, 6-2.
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