Elena Rybakina crashes out of French Open while Fran Jones fightback falls short

World No 2 is stunned by Ukraine’s Yuliia StarodubtsevaBritain’s Jones lost 6-0, 7-6 (3) to 27th seed BouzkovaEven by Fran Jones’s high standards – she describes herself as a “mentality monster”, rightly so given all the trials she has overcome – her chances of any sort of recovery seemed painfully remote. She had lost 10 of her first 11 games to find herself trailing 0-6, 1-4 while being outplayed by a more experienced, better-prepared opponent. During the hottest part of another searing day in Paris which also saw the No 2 seed Elena Rybakina dumped out, it seemed she was cooked.Still, Jones kept on grinding and again showed off her combativeness by nearly turning the match around. The British No 4 eventually bowed out with a 6-0, 7-6 (3) defeat against the 27th seed, the Czech Marie Bouzkova, ending a memorable first main-draw appearance at Roland Garros in the second round. Continue reading...