Mary Pierce, white-faced and close to tears, was booed off the Suzanne Lenglen show court at Roland Garros yesterday after crashing out of the French Open in straight-sets to Magui Serna of Spain.
Pierce looked to have her second-round match against the 19-year-old left-hander from Las Palmas all but won after streaking 5-1 clear in the first set, but then her world fell apart as she went down 7-5 6-2.
"It's not the first time they have booed me off and it probably won't be the last time," said a visibly frustrated Pierce after her defeat.
Pierce has had a love-hate relationship with the crowds at Roland Garros. If she wins, she is regarded as a French heroine, if she loses, as a Canadian failure.
In the men's event, former champion Yevgeny Kafelnikov also parted company with the tournament saying that his confidence was not what it should be, after surrendering in four sets to Sweden's Thomas Enqvist.
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