Canada’s Diez and Zhao post first-round wins in French Open qualifying matches

PARIS — Steven Diez and Carol Zhao won first-round qualifying matches Monday at the French Open on a day of mixed results for Canadian players.

Diez, from Toronto, defeated Elliot Benchetrit of Morocco 6-3, 6-1 while Zhao, from Richmond Hill, Ont., beat Russia’s Valeria Savinykh 2-6, 6-2, 6-0.

Peter Polansky of Thornhill, Ont., dropped a 7-6 (4), 1-6, 6-2 decision to Nikola Milojevic of Serbia and Illya Marchenko of Ukraine defeated Brayden Schnur of Pickering, Ont., 6-7 (5), 7-5, 6-4.

The qualifying draw continues through Friday. The main draw of the Grand Slam tournament is set for May 30-June 13.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 24, 2021.

The Canadian Press