Kimiko Date-Krumm was sent to a first-round defeat in women's singles at the hands of Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova of Russia at the French Open on Tuesday.
Pavlyuchenkova beat the 43-year-old Date-Krumm 6-3, 0-6, 6-2, sending Date-Krumm out in her first match at Roland Garros for the fourth consecutive year. Date-Krumm was hoping to better the mark of Virginia Wade, who in 1985 became the oldest woman at age 39 to win a match at the French Open since the start of the Open Era.
On Monday, Kurumi Nara advanced on a day of mixed fortunes for Japanese players in the first round.
World No. 44 Nara eased past 111th-ranked American Anna Tatishvili 6-1, 6-4 for her first win at the French Open, but Misaki Doi fell at the first hurdle, as did men's ace Kei Nishikori.
"I'm happy I could get my first win at the French Open," said Nara. "I'm also relieved. I put my heart into it and played with a cool head."
Doi was beaten in straight sets, 6-3, 6-3 by 28th seed Andrea Petkovic of Germany, while Nishikori was stunned in a straight-sets defeat to Martin Klizan of Slovakia.
Klizan, who won his second ATP title at the BMW Open on May 4, downed the ninth-seeded Nishikori 7-6 (7-4), 6-1, 6-2. It was the first time that Nishikori, whose seeding was a career high at a Grand Slam, was ousted in the first round of the French Open.