May 26 • Kim has crashed out in the 2nd round of the French Open on Thursday, squandering a 6-3 5-2 lead and match points in a messy 6-3 5-7 1-6 loss to unheralded 20-year-old Arantxa Rus.
In just her second clay court match of the year, the No.2-ranked Kim was looking very sharp early on, but after missing those 2 match points ― one at 5-2, one at 5-4 ― the momentum started shifting even more quickly, and after two hours and 65 unforced errors, Kim's hopes for a first French Open were over.
'I'm still trying to figure it out', Kim said. 'I felt like she was missing quite a lot in the beginning of the rallies, and I felt I was moving her around well from side to side. Then I started doubting a little bit. That's definitely the wrong attitude to have, especially for me on clay. She obviously started building up more confidence, playing a lot better and putting me on my back foot all the time. I couldn't really play my aggressive tennis anymore in that third set.'
With shoulder, wrist and ankle injuries keeping her out since March, Kim's preparation may not have been the best she has ever had going into a major.
'My ankle feels fine, that had absolutely nothing to do with it. If I felt like I wasn't as ready as I would have liked to be, I wouldn't have come here', Kim said. 'Physically everything was fine. If I wasn't feeling I was able to play tough matches, I wouldn't have made the decision to come to Roland Garros. I'm not going to sit here and say maybe I shouldn't have come here. That's the attitude of a real loser, I think. I gave it the best I had with the abilities I had.'
Kim had been 31-0 in Grand Slams against players ranked outside the Top 100, a stat the No.114-ranked Rus put to rest. 'This is for sure my biggest win', Rus said. 'In the beginning I was a little nervous, then I started playing better and better. And it was really nice to play against Kim. She's a real hero.'
