After rain had messed up most of the schedule, Caroline Garcia and Lara Arruabarrena eventually took to the court for their first round match. With both players having decent results on clay before, the match turned out to be a tight contest.
Garcia edged out the first set in a tiebreak but lost steam in the second set. The Spaniard fought back and eventually sent the fourth seed home winning 6-7(5), 6-1, 6-4.
Garcia edges out an hour long set
Early errors from Garcia allowed Arruabarrena to gain a 2-0 advantage. With the Frenchwoman yet to find her groove, a couple of double faults in a loose game gave the Spaniard a chance to go a double break up in the fifth game. However, Garcia eventually weathered the pressure to hold despite facing three break points to hang on for 2-3.
Arruabarrena, on the other hand, who looked comfortable in her games thus far faltered in the sixth game allowing the Frenchwoman to get back on level terms for 3-3. Garcia having found her groove went ahead for the first time in the set. As the match progressed, Arruabarrena looked vulnerable on her second serves struggling to win points, but she continued holding serve to match Garcia.
As the set reached the climax stage, Garcia faced some trouble in the 11th game with the Spaniard creating chance after chance to find the crucial break. The Frenchwoman though stood firm and edged ahead 6-5 before the Spaniard brought the set to a tiebreak.
In the tiebreak, Arruabarrena got the first mini-break to edge 2-0 in front. Garcia, however, came right back, reeling off five points in a row for a staggering 5-2 lead. The Frenchwoman, however, couldn’t extend her lead losing both points on serve as the Spaniard closed the gap to 4-5. Garcia had set point at 6-4 but Arruabarrena defended well to briefly halt the Frenchwoman. However, with another set point on her own serve, Garcia eventually closed out the set 7-6(5).
Arruabarrena races through as Garcia fades to force a decider
The second set was a contrast to the tight and long first set. Despite winning the first set, Garcia struggled to form any kind of rhythm. Her serve failed her as Arruabarrena fought back gaining the double break to surge ahead 5-0. Garcia herself was unable to convert the few chances that came her way. The Frenchwoman did eventually hold her serve for the first time in the set to avoid the bagel as the Spaniard cruised to take the second set 6-1 in under 30 minutes.
Arruabarrena grabs an early lead to see out the victory
Garcia looked to shake off that poor second set as she had a triple break point in the second game. The Spaniard, however, saved all three and fended off another to hold off the Frenchwoman for 1-1. Garcia was left to rue her chances though as Arruabarrena broke immediately to take a 2-1 lead.
That proved to be the difference in the match. Trailing 2-3, Garcia also had a medical timeout. However, she did not seem to struggle as she continued holding serve to keep in touch with the Spaniard. The Frenchwoman had a momentary opportunity to get the break back in the eighth game but Arruabarrena snuffed out the sole chance. The Spaniard then went on to complete the victory clinching the deciding set 6-4.