Petenis Jerman berusia 29 tahun itu kalah 2-6, 2-6 dari petenis berpengalaman Ekaterina Makarova dari Rusia, Minggu.
Sebelum tahun ini, kekalahan dini yang dialami unggulan teratas di Paris adalah pada putaran kedua -- Justine Henin pada 2004 dan Serena Williams pada 2014.
Pada tunggal putra, hanya terjadi sekali ketika Stefan Edberg tersingkir lebih awal dari perkiraan pada 1990.
Bagi Kerber, ini adalah kali kedua secara berurutan kalah pada putaran pembuka di Paris setelah kalah dari Kiki Bertens dari Belanda 12 bulan lalu.
"Saya tahu bahwa saya harus siap 100 persen sejak pertandingan pertama," kata Kerber, yang baru-baru ini memperoleh peringkat teratas dunia dari Serena Williams.
Ia boleh saja juara di AS Terbuka tetapi mahkota sebagai pemain terbaik dunia tidak bertengger dengan baik pada dirinya.
Sebelumnya, pada musim kompetisi lapangan tanah liat, Kerber kalah pada pertandingan pembuka di Stuttgart ketika ia adalah juara bertahan. Kemudian menderita cedera paha pada putaran ketiga di Madrid dan kalah pada penampilan pertama di Roma.
Kekalahan di ibu kota Italia itu terjadi di tangan peringkat 68 dunia Anett Kontaveit -- kekalahan terburuknya dalam 18 bulan.
Untungnya bagi petenis kidal itu, musim kompetisi tanah liat sudah berakhir dan ia bisa memandang lapangan rumput dan Wimbledon tempat ia menjadi runner-up tahun lalu.
"Tekanannya selalu ada. Tahun ini, harapannya terlalu besar, terutama pada turnamen besar dan Grand Slams," tambah Kerber, yang memenangi turnamen besar pertamanya di Australia Terbuka 2016.
"Dan harapan dari saya juga sangat besar karena saya tahu apa yang bisa saya lakukan dan yang telah saya lakukan tahun lalu.
"Tetapi saat ini saya kira saya harus menemukan diri saya kembali dan berusaha melupakan musim kompetisi lapangan tanah liat secepatnya dan kemudian me-reset (menyetel ulang) dan mulai dari lapangan rumput lagi."
Sementara itu Makarova, melaju untuk bertemu pemenang laga antara Lesia Tsurenko dan Kateryna Kozlova, yang keduanya berasal dari Ukraina.
"Luar biasa menang dan melakukannya pada penampilan pertama saya di lapangan Philippe Chatrier sebagai pemain tunggal setelah sembilan tahun datang ke Paris," kata Makarova, mantan semifinalis di Australia dan AS Terbuka, demikian AFP.
Tennis: Pressure tells as Kerber suffers historic Roland Garros loss
Tennis | FRA | Open | Kerber | Makarova associated with x
Paris, France | AFP | Sunday 5/28/2017 - 21:25 UTC+7 | 494 words
RECASTS with quotes
by Dave JAMES
Angelique Kerber admitted the pressure of being world number one was beginning to eat away at her fragile confidence after becoming the first top seed in French Open history to lose in the opening round.
The 29-year-old German slumped to a dispiriting 6-2, 6-2 defeat to experienced Ekaterina Makarova of Russia on Sunday.
Before this year, the earliest exits suffered by a top seed on Paris were in the second round -- Justine Henin in 2004 and Serena Williams in 2014.
In the men's singles, it has only happened once when Stefan Edberg made a quicker than expected exit in 1990.
For Kerber, it was a second successive opening round defeat in Paris after losing to Kiki Bertens of the Netherlands 12 months ago.
"I know that I have to be ready 100% from the first match," said Kerber, who recently gained the world's top ranking from Serena Williams.
She may be the US Open champion but the crown of being the world's best player is not sitting well with her.
In the clay court season, Kerber lost her opener in Stuttgart where she was the defending champion, suffered a thigh injury in the third round in Madrid and lost first time out in Rome.
Defeat in the Italian capital was at the hands of world number 68 Anett Kontaveit -- her worst loss in 18 months.
Mercifully for left-hander Kerber the clay season is over and she can look ahead to the grass courts and Wimbledon where she was runner-up last year.
"The pressure is always there. This year, the expectations are much bigger, especially in the big tournaments and the Grand Slams," added Kerber, who won her first major at the Australian Open in 2016.
"And the expectations from me also are really big because I know what I can do and what I did last year.
"But right now I think that I have to find to myself again and just try to forget the clay court season as soon as possible and then reset and start from the grass courts again."
Makarova, meanwhile, goes on to face either Lesia Tsurenko or Kateryna Kozlova, both of the Ukraine.
"It's unbelievable to win and to do it on my first appearance on Philippe Chatrier court as a singles player after nine years of coming to Paris," said Makarova, a former semi-finalist at the Australian and US Opens.
"At the end of the match, it was really tough as I knew she wouldn't give it to me -- I had to win it."
On Sunday, Kerber fell a double break down to trail 5-1 to her 28-year-old Russian opponent who she was facing for the 12th time.
Makarova, now ranked 40 after reaching a career high of eight, was a double break ahead again for 3-0 in the second set.
Four successive breaks of serve followed before Makarova saved seven break points in the crucial eighth game to cause the upset.
dj/mw
Sebelum tahun ini, kekalahan dini yang dialami unggulan teratas di Paris adalah pada putaran kedua -- Justine Henin pada 2004 dan Serena Williams pada 2014.
Pada tunggal putra, hanya terjadi sekali ketika Stefan Edberg tersingkir lebih awal dari perkiraan pada 1990.
Bagi Kerber, ini adalah kali kedua secara berurutan kalah pada putaran pembuka di Paris setelah kalah dari Kiki Bertens dari Belanda 12 bulan lalu.
"Saya tahu bahwa saya harus siap 100 persen sejak pertandingan pertama," kata Kerber, yang baru-baru ini memperoleh peringkat teratas dunia dari Serena Williams.
Ia boleh saja juara di AS Terbuka tetapi mahkota sebagai pemain terbaik dunia tidak bertengger dengan baik pada dirinya.
Sebelumnya, pada musim kompetisi lapangan tanah liat, Kerber kalah pada pertandingan pembuka di Stuttgart ketika ia adalah juara bertahan. Kemudian menderita cedera paha pada putaran ketiga di Madrid dan kalah pada penampilan pertama di Roma.
Kekalahan di ibu kota Italia itu terjadi di tangan peringkat 68 dunia Anett Kontaveit -- kekalahan terburuknya dalam 18 bulan.
Untungnya bagi petenis kidal itu, musim kompetisi tanah liat sudah berakhir dan ia bisa memandang lapangan rumput dan Wimbledon tempat ia menjadi runner-up tahun lalu.
"Tekanannya selalu ada. Tahun ini, harapannya terlalu besar, terutama pada turnamen besar dan Grand Slams," tambah Kerber, yang memenangi turnamen besar pertamanya di Australia Terbuka 2016.
"Dan harapan dari saya juga sangat besar karena saya tahu apa yang bisa saya lakukan dan yang telah saya lakukan tahun lalu.
"Tetapi saat ini saya kira saya harus menemukan diri saya kembali dan berusaha melupakan musim kompetisi lapangan tanah liat secepatnya dan kemudian me-reset (menyetel ulang) dan mulai dari lapangan rumput lagi."
Sementara itu Makarova, melaju untuk bertemu pemenang laga antara Lesia Tsurenko dan Kateryna Kozlova, yang keduanya berasal dari Ukraina.
"Luar biasa menang dan melakukannya pada penampilan pertama saya di lapangan Philippe Chatrier sebagai pemain tunggal setelah sembilan tahun datang ke Paris," kata Makarova, mantan semifinalis di Australia dan AS Terbuka, demikian AFP.
Tennis: Pressure tells as Kerber suffers historic Roland Garros loss
Tennis | FRA | Open | Kerber | Makarova associated with x
Paris, France | AFP | Sunday 5/28/2017 - 21:25 UTC+7 | 494 words
RECASTS with quotes
by Dave JAMES
Angelique Kerber admitted the pressure of being world number one was beginning to eat away at her fragile confidence after becoming the first top seed in French Open history to lose in the opening round.
The 29-year-old German slumped to a dispiriting 6-2, 6-2 defeat to experienced Ekaterina Makarova of Russia on Sunday.
Before this year, the earliest exits suffered by a top seed on Paris were in the second round -- Justine Henin in 2004 and Serena Williams in 2014.
In the men's singles, it has only happened once when Stefan Edberg made a quicker than expected exit in 1990.
For Kerber, it was a second successive opening round defeat in Paris after losing to Kiki Bertens of the Netherlands 12 months ago.
"I know that I have to be ready 100% from the first match," said Kerber, who recently gained the world's top ranking from Serena Williams.
She may be the US Open champion but the crown of being the world's best player is not sitting well with her.
In the clay court season, Kerber lost her opener in Stuttgart where she was the defending champion, suffered a thigh injury in the third round in Madrid and lost first time out in Rome.
Defeat in the Italian capital was at the hands of world number 68 Anett Kontaveit -- her worst loss in 18 months.
Mercifully for left-hander Kerber the clay season is over and she can look ahead to the grass courts and Wimbledon where she was runner-up last year.
"The pressure is always there. This year, the expectations are much bigger, especially in the big tournaments and the Grand Slams," added Kerber, who won her first major at the Australian Open in 2016.
"And the expectations from me also are really big because I know what I can do and what I did last year.
"But right now I think that I have to find to myself again and just try to forget the clay court season as soon as possible and then reset and start from the grass courts again."
Makarova, meanwhile, goes on to face either Lesia Tsurenko or Kateryna Kozlova, both of the Ukraine.
"It's unbelievable to win and to do it on my first appearance on Philippe Chatrier court as a singles player after nine years of coming to Paris," said Makarova, a former semi-finalist at the Australian and US Opens.
"At the end of the match, it was really tough as I knew she wouldn't give it to me -- I had to win it."
On Sunday, Kerber fell a double break down to trail 5-1 to her 28-year-old Russian opponent who she was facing for the 12th time.
Makarova, now ranked 40 after reaching a career high of eight, was a double break ahead again for 3-0 in the second set.
Four successive breaks of serve followed before Makarova saved seven break points in the crucial eighth game to cause the upset.
dj/mw
Penerjemah: Fitri Supratiwi
Editor: Unggul Tri Ratomo
Copyright © ANTARA 2017
