No. 1 Angelique Kerber upset in French Open first round by Ekatarina Makarova

PARIS — Angelique Kerber became the first No. 1 ranked women’s player in Open Era history to lose a French Open first-round match when she was pummeled 6-2, 6-2 by Ekatarina Makarova on Sunday.

Prior to this Kerber loss, the earliest a top seed exited the French Open since 1968 was in the second round. Justine Henin fell in the 2004 second round and Serena Williams fell in the 2014 second round.

Undoubtedly, this is the type of distinction no player  wants attached to their name. But for Kerber, it's not all that surprising —  with a game highly reliant on her court coverage, she’s struggling to find consistent form.

“My game is that I have to [be] moving good, that I have [to be] fighting for every single ball,” Kerber said. “My game [is] not just going for winners and for shots, and having a good serve.”

Many pundits took an immediate look at the French Open draw when it surfaced on Friday and quickly surmised Makarova, currently 40th ranked but previously a top 10 player, was a first-round danger zone for Kerber.

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Even Makarova, who had never beaten a world No. 1 in four previous attempts  saw the upset potential.

The Russian also knew she’d beaten Kerber four times before in their previous 11 outings, although Kerber won their only clay court encounter at the 2015 Stuttgart tournament.

“Just look at her results, I had this thing in my mind,” said the unseeded Makarova. “I was waiting for the draw, and I was ready that I could play against anyone, but I didn't think that I will play No. 1. But it happened, and nothing I can do. I just went there and was fighting and tried to show my good tennis.”

Kerber’s early ouster from the French Open means there's room for another player to grab the No. 1 ranking. There are only two candidates in position for a take over at the end of the French — second -eed Karolina Pliskova has two paths to No. 1, while third seed Simona Halep has one available option.

The scenario for either Pliskova or Halep to take over at No. 1 called for Kerber to fall before the semifinals and either of them to win the title. Pliskova also needs to reach the final and see Kerber exit the draw before the round-of-16 to make the upward move.

There’s no denying this French Open loss is another demoralizing moment for the 29-year-old Kerber this season. Clearly frustrated on-and-off the court, Kerber didn’t try to hide the disappointment of not building on her hallmark season last year, when she won her first two Grand Slam titles at the Australian and US Opens.