Kiwi duo denied in mixed, Lulu Sun loses in women's doubles

Erin Routliffe and Michael Venus have been knocked out of the mixed doubles at Roland Garros in the second round, while Lulu Sun lost her match with Yuan Yue in the women’s doubles.

In yet more close matches for the New Zealand players at this year’s French Open, Routliffe and Venus lost 6-3 2-6 11-9 to Desirae Krawczyk from the United States and Britain’s Neal Skupski, after failing to convert a match point in the super tiebreak. 

Erin Routliffe and Michael Venus have been knocked out of the mixed doubles at Roland Garros in the second round.

In yet another close match for the New Zealand players at this year’s French Open, they lost 6-3 2-6 11-9 to Desirae Krawczyk from the United States and Britain’s Neal Skupski, after failing to convert a match point in the super tiebreak.

This was a rematch of last year’s Wimbledon quarterfinal, with Routliffe and Venus the 7-5 6-4 victors on that occasion and once more, it was a tight battle. 

Krawczyk was broken in the third game of the match, putting a backhand slice into the net on break point. 

However, Venus double faulted on break point in the sixth game and from there Krawczyk and Skupski dominated the remainder of the set.

There was a brief stoppage for rain early in the second set and shortly after the resumption Krawczyk was broken to love. Later in the set, the American sent a backhand long on set point, sending the match into a super tiebreak.

Team Kiwi led 4-2 at the first change of ends, but by the next switch, the score was level at 6-6.

An ace from Venus set up a match point on Skupski’s serve at 8-9, but Routliffe put her backhand return too long. 

Two points later Routliffe had to defend a match point on her serve. Skupski’s return was deep and wide. Routliffe managed to get it back over the net, but Skupski charged in to finish the point with a winner.

For Routliffe and Venus, their attention now turns to the grass court season, with the former needing to secure a partner while Gaby Dabrowski is out injured.

Later in the day, Sun and Yuan lost 7-5 6-2 to the second seeds Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini.

Errani and Paolini accounted for Routliffe and Victoria Azarenka in the first round at Roland Garros and the Italian duo are always extremely tough to beat on clay.

Sun and Yuan gave it a battle, but last year’s finalists and Olympics gold medal winners benefitted from being a more established partnership.

Sun has entered to play at the WTA tournaments in s-Hertogenbosch, Nottingham and Eastbourne before Wimbledon starts on June 30.