Daily Times

PARIS: Victoria Azarenka’s unhappy French Open campaign ended on Wednesday as the former world number one was beaten 6-2 6-2 by Slovakia’s Anna Karolina Schmiedlova in the second round. The Belarussian, who moaned about the cold and damp conditions in her opening round win, capitulated in feeble fashion against her 161st-ranked opponent. Schmiedlova, who is playing with a protected ranking after knee surgery in 2019, has enjoyed a stunning return to form in Paris, having beaten Venus Williams in round one. That win over Williams ended a run of 12 consecutive first-round losses in Grand Slams and she backed that up with a commanding display against an error-prone Azarenka.Tenth seed Azarenka, runner-up at the U.S. Open this month, double-faulted to drop serve in the opening game when play finally started on Court Simonne-Mathieu after yet another rain delay and it did not get much better for the 31-year-old. The 26-year-old Scmiedlova’s one real moment of alarm came at 1-1 in the second set when she slipped and landed heavily on her left knee and required treatment. But she showed no ill-effects as she moved into a 5-2 lead with a couple of breaks of serve. Schmiedlova brought up match point with a forehand winner and sealed victory as Azarenka fired a 37th unforced error.