By Jonathan Jurejko
BBC Sport at Roland Garros
| 2019 French Open |
|---|
| Venue:Roland Garros, ParisDates:26 May-9 June |
| Coverage:Live text and radio commentary on selected matches on the BBC Sport website and app. |
Ukrainian ninth seed Elina Svitolina overcame a tricky first-round draw by beating seven-time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams in straights sets at the French Open.
Both players struggled on serve before Svitolina finished both sets stronger to win 6-3 6-3.
Williams, 38, has not gone past the third round of a Slam since reaching the 2017 US Open semi-finals.
Svitolina will play world number 67 and compatriot Kateryna Kozlova next.
Svitolina missed two match points before sealing victory at the third opportunity when Williams sprayed a backhand into the tramlines.
Williams made 34 unforced errors and Svitolina eventually managed to grind her down.
Svitolina, a two-time Roland Garros quarter-finalist, has seen her season disrupted by a knee injury but her movement appeared to be fine as she won in one hour and 13 minutes.
More to follow.
- Read: Elina Svitolina’s BBC column
- Live scores, schedule and results
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