No.23 seed proves too strong for Slovakian Kristina Kucova to open her Roland Garros 2017 campaign in style.
Paris, France, 30 May 2017 | Darren Walton, AAP
Sam Stosur is the first Australian player into the French Open second round, scoring a gritty first-round win over Kristina Kucova.
Sluggish early after a gruelling five-match run to the title in Strasbourg on Saturday, Stosur recovered from a service break down in the opening set to see off the Slovak 7-5 6-1 in one hour and 19 minutes.
“It wasn’t, obviously, the easiest necessarily preparation going into a Grand Slam,” Stosur said of her swift turnaround and one-day Paris build-up.