1. Skip to content
  2. Skip to main menu
  3. Skip to more DW sites

Annika Beck grabs surprise win

May 25, 2015

Angelique Kerber and Sabine Lisicki both had successful starts to their French Open campaigns on Monday. But, it was a lesser-known German youngster who really turned heads.

https://p.dw.com/p/1FWCt
Annika Beck plays against Agnieszka Radwanska
Image: Getty Images/AFP/D. Faget

Annika Beck has grabbed a surprise victory against world number 14 Agnieszka Radwanska at the French Open on Monday. The Bonn-based player won in three sets (6-2, 3-6, 6-1) after successfully converting her third match point against the Pole.

It was the 21-year-old's first win on clay this season, after five losses in the first round of tournaments leading up to Paris.

In the next round Beck will have a good chance for another victory, when she takes on Polish qualifier Paula Kania.

Meanwhile, Angelique Kerber and Sabine Lisicki have both won their first games at Roland Garros comfortably, in what was a successful day for Germany's women.

Sabine Lisicki
Germany's Sabine Lisicki won her match over Monica Puig in straight setsImage: picture-alliance/dpa/E. Laurent

Three days after forfeiting a match due to a back injury in Nuremberg, Kerber cruised to a 6-0, 6-1 victory over Hungarian Timea Babos. After just 50 minutes of play Kerber won the match, on her first match point opportunity. She will now meet Ajla Tomljanovic from Australia in the second round.

World number 20 Sabine Lisicki also won her match comfortably, 6-3, 6-2, against Monica Puig from Puerto Rico in just over an hour. The Berliner was pleased with her performance on what is not normally her best surface, clay.

"This is the last clay tournament of the year," she said after the match. "You have to give it your all."

"Winning my first match in two sets is exactly what I was hoping for."

Mona Barthel was the only German to bow out on Monday, after losing in three sets to Kania. The loss continues her poor form: it's now the sixth time in a row that the world number 41 has exited a tournament in the first round.

al/asz (dpa, SID)