Johannesburg — Lloyd Harris crashed out in the first round of the French Open in Paris on Tuesday, losing in straight sets to the French veteran Richard Gasquet.
Harris, 25, went down 6-1,6-3, 6-4. His performance was littered with mistakes as he made 44 unforced errors in a match that lasted 1hr:49 minutes and had to be completed after rain ended proceedings on Monday night.
Gasquet had dominated on Court Suzanne Lenglen, especially in the first half of the match, but Harris showed some improvement on Tuesday although ultimately it proved insufficient against the 35 year old Frenchman.
Gasquet ended the match with a typically exquisite backhand down the line, registering his 27th winner, 17 of which came off that backhand side.
Harris, who last in the second round at Roland Garros last year, was ranked 39 in the world ahead of the premier clay court tournament, and will head into the grass court period of the year — which is more friendly towards his big serve — hoping for better results.
IOL Sport