PARIS, May 22 (Xinhua) -- Chinese tennis player Han Xinyun lost to Nicole Gibbs of the United States in straight sets in the first round of women's singles qualifiers here in the French Open on Tuesday.
Han gave away the victory in 6-1, 6-4 to her eighth-seeded opponent following a 71-minute battle at the sun-baked Roland Garros.
Han was 4-0 down after suffering two breaks early in the match, before responding in the fifth game with a break, but that was the only victory that she tasted in the opening set.
"She had high-quality returns in the match and did well on some crucial points," said Han.
Gibbs continued her powerful forehands and tireless running, while Han conceded two points in a row on double faults after the interval.
Han refused to let the match slip away in the second set as the two players maintained their serves in the next eight games.
Leading by 5-4 into her service game, Gibbs managed to secure the victory on her fourth match point.
Han had a five-percent advantage on first serves, but was inferior in terms of first and second serves points won. She also gave six double faults throughout the match.
"Overall, I'm satisfied with my performance today. I was not quite used to the court, which made it difficult to play.
"In the second set, she was not so good in her physicality, and had several unforced errors," Han said, adding that she will prepare for upcoming hard-court tournaments back in China.
No Chinese players featured in men's singles qualifiers that kicked off on Monday. 128 men's players compete for 16 spots on offer in the main draw, while 12 main draw berths are up for grabs for 96 women's players in qualifiers until Friday.
China's Zhang Shuai, Peng Shuai, Wang Qiang, Zheng Saisai and Wang Yafan are set to feature in women's singles main draw, either based on rankings due to the courtesy of protected rankings.
The drawing ceremony for the 2018 edition of Roland Garros will be held on Thursday.
