PARIS — While most favorites have advanced past the first round of the French Open without issue, two of the brightest young lights of last summer could not on Tuesday.
Eugenie Bouchard, a Canadian who made runs to the semifinals of the Australian Open and French Open last year and then reached the final at Wimbledon, lost on Tuesday to Kristina Mladenovic, 6-4, 6-4. It was Bouchard’s first loss in the first round of a Grand Slam, and she will fall to outside the top 10 from her current ranking at No. 6.
Bouchard’s decline has been precipitous: She has lost eight of her last nine matches, with her lone victory since March coming two weeks ago in Rome.