Tennis: French Open fans must prove they are COVID-19-free to attend Roland Garros
Second seed Naomi Osaka crashes out at Rome Masters
French Open fans must show they are free from COVID-19 if they want to be among the small number of spectators allowed to attend this year’s Roland Garros, organisers said Wednesday.
French tennis federation director-general Amelie Oudea-Castera said potential spectators at the May 30-June 13 Grand Slam must demonstrate proof that they had a negative PCR or antigen test within 48 hours of attendance, or bear a certificate of vaccination.
Meanwhile, Japan's Naomi Osaka crashed out of the Italian Open on Wednesday after a 7-6, 6-2 second round defeat to American Jessica Pegula in the clay-court warm-up ahead of Roland Garros.
The four-time Grand Slam winner, seeded second in the Italian capital, had received a first-round bye, but was unable to find her way back into the match after losing the first-set tie-break to her 31st-ranked opponent.
Osaka was playing just her third tournament since winning the Australian Open in February and also exited in the second round in Madrid earlier this month.
Osaka, the reigning US Open champion, has seven career hard-court titles, but has never managed to lift a clay-court trophy.
Pegula, 27, who reached the Australian Open quarter-finals, will next play either 33rd-ranked Russian Ekaterina Alexandrova or American 13th seed Jennifer Brady.