Garbine Muguruza withstood a spirited challenge from Tamara Zidansek to record a 7-5 4-6 8-6 victory and book her place in the second round of the 2020 French Open.
The Spaniard, 26, played some superb tennis on her way to the semi-final in Rome just over a week ago. However, she struggled to find any kind of rhythm in her Paris opener.
During a match lasting three hours and one minute, Muguruza hit 42 winners. However, she also made 64 unforced errors as she battled a slow court, a heavy ball and a stubborn opponent.
Most importantly of all, the Spaniard made it through. And if she can raise her game in the upcoming rounds, she will soon forget about her first-round struggles.
In the first set, Zidansek earned an early break after outlasting Muguruza in a marathon game. Then the Spaniard fought back. She broke twice to establish a 5-3 lead.
But the set was far from over. The Slovenian broke the World No.15 for a second time to level the score at 5-5. Unfortunately for her, Muguruza responded with another break and then held to secure the set.
Muguruza fights back after losing second set
Muguruza and Zidansek twice traded breaks in the second set to leave the score locked at 4-4. Then the Spaniard wasted two crucial changes to break that would have given her the chance to serve for the match.
Instead, the World No.15 fell 5-4 behind. Then she served poorly and the Slovenian punished her. The World No.83 broke to seal the second set and take the match into a decider.
After Muguruza recovered from 0-3 to level the score, the final set became a test of endurance for the players. For the next six games, there was simply no way of separating them as the score rolled on to 6-6.
Then the Spaniard produced some of her best tennis when she needed it most. She took control of the 13th game with some excellent groundstrokes. On important points, she forced Zidansek wide and deep to earn two chances to break. Then she seized the second with a classy forehand winner.
Muguruza hit three big first serves as she secured a relatively comfortable hold to finish the match. When she won the last point, she wore a look that mixed exasperation and relief. The Spaniard will now face either Kristyna Pliskova or Viktoria Kuzmova in round two.
