By Richard Pagliaro | Monday, May 23, 2016
Former French Open doubles champions Roberta Vinci and Sara Errani were both ousted in their Roland Garros openers
Photo credit: Zimbio
Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci partnered to rule Roland Garros four years ago.
Today, the seventh-seeded Vinci and former finalist Errani both failed to survive the French Open first round.
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Vinci, who denied Serena Williams' shot at the Grand Slam with her shocking US Open semifinal upset last summer, was bounced in straight sets by Kateryna Bondarenko, 6-1, 6-3.
It was Bondarenko's first Roland Garros main-draw win since 2010.
Vinci suffered her third straight opening-round exit in Paris and her fourth first-round defeat in the last five years. Vinci, a three-time French Open doubles finalist, has exited in the opening round in nine of 12 career appearances in Paris.
The 33-year-old Italian was also ousted in her Madrid and Rome openers.
The 16th-seeded Errani was no match for Tsvetana Pironkova, falling 6-3, 6-2.
The 2012 Roland Garros runner-up to Maria Sharapova, Errani had reached the quarterfinals or better in Paris for four years in a row, but was too defensive to cause too many problems for Pironkova, a 2010 Wimbledon semifinalist, who has surpassed the Roland Garros second round just once.
It is Errani's earliest exit in six years.
American Shelby Rogers surprised Pliskova, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3. The 17th-seeded Czech hit 12 aces, but Rogers broke Pliskova's serve five times in scoring her second career Roland Garros victory.
Rogers will play Elena Vesnina, who swept American Madison Brengle in the first round.
Vinci and Pliskova were both in the third quarter of the draw. Their departures could benefit 10th-seeded Petra Kvitova, who will play Su-Wei Hsieh in the second round.