Lloyd Harris out of French Open in Round 1
South Africa's top-ranked tennis player, Lloyd Harris, faced a tough defeat in the men's singles at the Roland Garros in Paris. Despite displaying great resilience on Tuesday, Harris was unable to overcome the world No.27 Alexander Zverev, who made a triumphant comeback to Roland Garros after recovering from a severe ankle injury suffered during last year's semi-finals.
Harris, who has encountered difficulties with his form this season, succumbed to Zverev in straight sets, with the final scoreline reading 7-6(7/8), 7-6(7/0), 6-1 in favour of the 22nd seed from Germany. While clay courts are not Harris' preferred surface, he had previously reached the second round of the French Open in consecutive years from 2019 to 2021, marking his best-ever result at the tournament.
Currently ranked 293rd in the world, Harris reached a career-high ranking of 31 in September 2021. However, his progress was hindered by a wrist injury, which kept him out of action for the latter half of 2022.
Harris's journey at Roland Garros is not over yet; on Thursday, he will be competing in the doubles event alongside his fellow countryman Raven Klaasen in the first round. They will be facing the Spanish duo of Roberto Carballés Baena and Jaume Munar.
South Africa's top-ranked tennis player, Lloyd Harris, faced a tough defeat in the men's singles at the Roland Garros in Paris. Despite displaying great resilience on Tuesday, Harris was unable to overcome the world No.27 Alexander Zverev, who made a triumphant comeback to Roland Garros after recovering from a severe ankle injury suffered during last year's semi-finals.
Harris, who has encountered difficulties with his form this season, succumbed to Zverev in straight sets, with the final scoreline reading 7-6(7/8), 7-6(7/0), 6-1 in favour of the 22nd seed from Germany. While clay courts are not Harris' preferred surface, he had previously reached the second round of the French Open in consecutive years from 2019 to 2021, marking his best-ever result at the tournament.
Currently ranked 293rd in the world, Harris reached a career-high ranking of 31 in September 2021. However, his progress was hindered by a wrist injury, which kept him out of action for the latter half of 2022.
Harris's journey at Roland Garros is not over yet; on Thursday, he will be competing in the doubles event alongside his fellow countryman Raven Klaasen in the first round. They will be facing the Spanish duo of Roberto Carballés Baena and Jaume Munar.
