Riske upset in first round of French Open
PARIS – The red clay at Roland Garros Stadium has never been the favorite playing surface of Alison Riske.
The 30-year-old McMurray native hasn’t advanced past the opening round of the French Open since 2014, and another year of frustration was added Tuesday when Riske was upset by Germany’s Julia Georges, 6-3, 6-7(7-4), 6-1, in the first round.
Riske, who was seeded 19th, was one of three seeded women’s players to lose Tuesday. The others were No. 21 seed Jennifer Brady and No. 26 Donna Vekic.
Georges, who is ranked No. 41 in the world, broke Riske’s serve three times in the first set. Riske battled back to win the second set in a tiebreaker, but Georges won the match by winning the final five games of the third set.
Riske committed nine double faults in the match, had her serve broken nine times and committed 27 unforced errors.
Riske started 2020 with a run to the fourth round at the Australian Open, giving her a final-16 appearance in three of the four Grand Slams. The French Open has been the stumbling block for Riske as her all-time record at Roland Garros fell to 1-7.