Russian teen Potapova stuns Wimbledon champ Kerber in first round of French Open

26 May, 2019 11:15 / Updated 5 years ago

Teenage Russian tennis ace Anastasia Potapova secured a stunning first-round French Open win over fifth seed Angelique Kerber of Germany in straight sets.

Potapova, 18, broke her opponent six times in a 6-4, 6-2 victory that handed three-time Grand Slam champion Kerber another early exit at Roland-Garros.

The Russian youngster, a former junior world number 1 and junior Wimbledon champion, is appearing in her first French Open but announced herself in impressive fashion in comfortably seeing off the 31-year-old German.

Moscow-based Potapova, ranked number 81 in the world, next faces China's Wang Yafan or Czech Marketa Vondrousova.  

Elsewhere on Sunday, notable matches see Swiss legend Roger Federer get his first French Open campaign in four years underway against Italy’s Lorenzo Sonego, while Venus Williams faces Ukraine's Elina Svitolina in the women’s singles.  

Also on rt.com French Open: Who can stop King of Clay Nadal, and what shape is Serena in?