Brits go begging after first-round Paris wipeout

British hopes at Roland Garros hit the skids again with no player in either draw able to reach the second round.

Tuesday night losses after a day of rain by Katie Boulter and Dan Evans completed the debacle – a repeat of similar showings here in2007, 2013 and 2020.

Boulter had it all to play for in her match with former No. 2 but current back injury returnee Paula Badosa, who overcame a deficit of a set and 2-4 as she turned the tables for victory 4-6, 7-5, 6-4. 

She told British media: “I’m sitting here right now with a little bit of a heavy heart because it was an absolute battle.

“I gave it everything and she played better than me, it’s that simple.”

The outspoken Evans, ranked 62, managed to get into a verbal with the chair umpire in the third set of his straight-set defeat of 13th seed Holger Rune.

The Brit accused the chair of interrupting the match flow by allowing his young Danish opponent time to male a complaint between points, interrupting the pace for Evans.

“I’m fed up with the umpires, flat full stop,” said the player fined this month in Rome for an outburst on court.

“(Top players) are humans and I think some of (umpires) forget that. We saw many, many examples of that.”

 He added: ” “He doesn’t need a conversation on my serve – let the f—king match play.

“Do your job,” (The chair) has a duty to keep the match flowing and you’re having a conversation with him. A long one. Two long ones. Madness.”