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French Open 2019: Fifth seed Angelique Kerber suffers first-round defeat against teenager Anastasia Potapova

Wimbledon champion Angelique Kerber's French Open challenge lasted little over an hour as she was sent packing by Russian teenager Anastasia Potapova in the first round.

The fifth seed had been a doubt for the tournament with an ankle injury suffered at the start of May and she looked short of matches in a 6-4 6-2 defeat.

Kerber has never been particularly at home on clay but, having added Wimbledon to her 2016 Australian Open and US Open titles, she now only needs the Roland Garros trophy for a career Grand Slam.

The result was the best win of Potapova's fledgling career, and the 18-year-old will face either fellow teen Marketa Vondrousova or Wang Yafan in round two.

Potapova celebrates her first round victory over Kerber at the French Open (Getty)
Potapova celebrates her first round victory over Kerber at the French Open (Getty)

PA