Routliffe, Fernandez win first round match at Roland Garros in three sets

Erin Routliffe and Leylah Fernandez had to battle back from losing the first set to defeat China’s Guo Hanyu and Jiang Xinyu in their first-round women’s doubles match at Roland Garros on Sunday.

They won the match 3-6 6-4 6-3 in two hours and five minutes to advance to the second round, where they’ll play the Japanese team of Eri Hozumi and Makoto Ninomiya, who are both doubles specialists.

Routliffe had heavy strapping to her left thigh for this first-round match, which started on Saturday, before play had to be suspended because of the rain.

Guo and Jiang were up 2-1 when play started on Sunday and they held onto that lead for the remainder of the first set.

The Chinese pair were twice up a break in the second set, but Routliffe and Fernandez won four out of the next five games to take the match the full distance. 

At a break point on Guo’s serve at 2-3 in the third set, Jiang went for a winner down the tramlines, but she slightly mistimed her shot and put it wide to give the New Zealand/Canadian team the crucial break.

Routliffe held to love In the next game for a 5-2 lead and the following game, on Jiang’s serve, the score went to deuce three times before Routliffe and Fernandez got their first match point.

But on it, they both went for a ball hit down the middle and Routliffe could only manage to  spoon it into the net.

The No 9 seeds got another match point soon after and this time Fernandez put a return into the net and the game ended up being a hold for Jiang.

On Fernandez’s serve in the next game, she got out to a 40-15 lead and on that match point Jiang put a forehand into the net.

Routliffe was back on court later in the day for the first round of the mixed doubles, where she and Michael Venus defeated Chan Hao-Ching from Chinese Taipei and Monaco's Hugo Nys 6-4 6-3.

In the next round the No 6 seeds play the French pairing of Clara Burel and Hugo Gaston. This will be the fourth match on Court 14 on Monday.