Heather Watson advances but Naomi Broady falls in French Open qualifiers

23 May 2017 05:54

It was a mixed day for British tennis in the first round of the women's French Open qualifying at Roland Garros.

Naomi Broady fell to a straight-sets defeat at the hands of Switzerland's Jil Teichmann while Heather Watson came from a set down to beat Anastasiya Komardina and progress to the second round.

Broady was broken four times as she was brushed aside by the world number 153 in a 6-4 6-2 loss in Paris, but there was better news for British number two Watson, who followed her compatriot on court six with a 3-6 7-5 6-1 victory over her Russian opponent.

The 25-year-old was broken three times as she lost the opening set but soon fought back to level the match in a tense second set with a decisive break in the 12th game.

But the Guernsey-born player breezed through the deciding set and finished the match in emphatic fashion by losing only four points in her final four games to seal a second-round clash with Czech Republic's Tereza Smitkova.

Fellow Briton Tara Moore gets her campaign underway with a first-round match with Kai-Chen Chang on Wednesday morning.

Players must win three qualifying rounds to reach the first round proper, the draw for which is set to be made on Friday, May 26.

Source: PA