PARIS, France – Kiki Bertens caused the first major upset of this year’s French Open by knocking out No.3 seed Angelique Kerber in the first round.

Fresh from a triumphant week in Nürnberg, where she came through qualifying to lift the title, Bertens continued her fine form to defeat Kerber, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3.

Earlier this year in Miami, Bertens came within a set of toppling the German only for illness to intervene, but out on Philippe Chatrier there was to be no stopping her. Displaying the confidence of a woman riding the crest of a seven-match winning streak, she withstood the inevitable comeback, wrapping up victory on her third match point when Kerber sent a drop shot looping into the net.

Kerber is the second Australian Open champion in three years to fall at the first hurdle in Paris, following in the unfortunate footsteps of Li Na.

In Nürnberg, Bertens upset Roberta Vinci to notch up her first ever Top 10 win, and her reward for a second is a meeting with either Camila Giorgi or Alizé  Lim.

More to follow…