Victoria Azarenka’s unhappy French Open campaign ended on Wednesday as the former world number one was beaten 6-2 6-2 by Slovakia’s Anna Karolina Schmiedlova in the second round.
SEE ALSO: Federer serves up Fritz blitz to reach Australian Open last 16
The Belarussian, who moaned about the cold and damp conditions in her opening round win, capitulated in feeble fashion against her 161st-ranked opponent.
Schmiedlova, who is playing with a protected ranking after knee surgery in 2019, has enjoyed a stunning return to form in Paris, having beaten Venus Williams in round one.
That win over Williams ended a run of 12 consecutive first round losses in Grand Slams and she backed that up with a commanding display against an error-prone Azarenka.
Tenth seed Azarenka, runner-up at the U.S. Open this month, double-faulted to drop serve in the opening game when play finally started on Court Simonne-Mathieu after yet another rain delay.
It did not get much better for the 31-year-old.
The 26-year-old Scmiedlova’s one real moment of alarm came at 1-1 in the second set when she slipped and landed heavily on her left knee and required treatment.
But she showed no ill-effects as she moved into a 5-2 lead with a couple of breaks of serve.
Schmiedlova brought up match point with a forehand winner and sealed victory as Azarenka fired a 37th unforced error.