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Kerr: KD to miss Game 1; Cousins questionable

Published in Basketball
Monday, 27 May 2019 14:49

Golden State Warriors star forward Kevin Durant has officially been ruled out for Game 1 of the NBA Finals against the Toronto Raptors on Thursday.

Coach Steve Kerr said Monday that the Warriors are undecided whether Durant will accompany the team to Toronto.

Durant, who has been battling a calf injury he suffered in Game 5 of the Western Conference finals against the Houston Rockets, still has not been cleared for any on-court activities with his teammates, according to Kerr.

Kerr also said injured center DeMarcus Cousins remains questionable with a torn quad. Cousins went down in the first quarter of Game 2 of the Warriors' first-round series against the LA Clippers back in April.

The Golden State Warriors face a new NBA Finals opponent for the first time during this dynastic run.

How well do the Toronto Raptors match up with the defending champs? What are the most important things to watch for each team in this series? How likely is it that the Raptors push the Warriors to the brink?

Our experts break down the things they're most excited to watch, make picks for the best player in the series and predict the final result.

More: NBA Finals preview | How Toronto got here


1. What are you most excited about heading into this Finals matchup?

Jackie MacMullan: I'm excited to see if Kawhi Leonard can continue his postseason stealth mission and make this a series. What if the Raptors legitimately put a scare into the Warriors? Does it matter what they do in terms of Leonard's future with Toronto? The drama continues and will only heighten as Leonard delivers more clutch performances.

Brian Windhorst: I'm hoping -- maybe against all hope -- for a long series after the past two years. Although long-term I'm optimistic about Giannis Antetokounmpo's potential, at the moment, Kawhi Leonard is a more developed weapon. He's the basis for hope against the Warriors' championship machine. Having him as the foil gives the best chance for a competitive series.

Jorge Sedano: We have a fresh, new matchup. We knew this was coming when LeBron James left the East, but it's another thing to finally visualize it. Plus, for the first time during Golden State's run, the Warriors will not have home-court advantage. How that will factor into the series is intriguing, and so is the coaching matchup. Steve Kerr's legacy is already cemented. Nick Nurse is one of the more interesting personalities coaching in the NBA, but he's also a helluva coach. The adjustments (and occasional gambles) he made during the Eastern Conference finals paid off and got Toronto here.

Tim MacMahon: Can Kawhi cap maybe the best mercenary season in NBA history by carrying the Raptors past a dynastic team? If so, it would cement Leonard's legacy as an all-time great. He has been the most dominant force so far in this postseason, serving as an efficient go-to guy and a lockdown defender and proving to be well worth the price Toronto paid in the trade for him, regardless of his decision in free agency.

Kevin Pelton: Leonard finally getting his chance against the Warriors. He was deprived of that opportunity by Zaza Pachulia's foot in 2017, and with Leonard playing perhaps the best basketball of his career, I can't wait to see him against Golden State -- particularly if we get Kawhi vs. Kevin Durant at some point in this series.


2. What's the most important thing to watch with the Raptors in this series?

Windhorst: Their supporting players -- namely Kyle Lowry, Serge Ibaka, Marc Gasol and Fred VanVleet -- have to cobble together some consistency. As a group, they have a tendency to be boom-or-bust, and there's no margin for error against Golden State. The other thing to watch is if they can take advantage of home court and get ahead in the series. That has long been an issue for this franchise.

Pelton: Whether Danny Green can rediscover his range. Toronto beat Milwaukee despite Green's shooting 19 percent (6-of-32) from the field while starting all six games, largely because VanVleet replaced him down the stretch. Against the bigger Warriors, playing VanVleet alongside Lowry will be tricky. Green's size is needed to match up with Golden State's wings, so the Raptors will have to get some contributions from him on the other end.

MacMahon: How will the Raptors respond to the Warriors' feared Hamptons 5 lineup? This is assuming Durant gets healthy soon enough to play a significant role in the series. Can Gasol match up with Green at center? For that matter, can Ibaka? We know the Raptors can thrive playing big. Can they succeed against the best small-ball lineup of all time?

MacMullan: The Raptors need to establish a consistent contributor besides Kawhi in the half court. Will Danny Green ever hit another 3? He hasn't knocked one down since May 20 (he's 0-for-8 since), and it has gotten so cringe-worthy that Toronto fans groaned in pained unison with every miss in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals. The good news for The North is that VanVleet came around just in time.

Sedano: Can Kawhi continue his current dominance? The Warriors can throw a ton of looks at him between Draymond Green, Andre Iguodala, Klay Thompson and Kevin Durant (should he return in this series). Undeniably, defending the Warriors is the most important thing. However, if Kawhi continues to roll, Pascal Siakam keeps ascending, Lowry makes Stephen Curry work on both ends and they get timely contributions from the rest of their supporting cast, the Raptors can make this a series.

3. What's the most important thing to watch with the Warriors in this series?

Pelton: How they integrate Durant and/or DeMarcus Cousins if they're cleared to return midseries. Adding such talented players on the fly in the midst of a competitive series is tricky, but the Warriors have experience with it, given the time both Curry and Durant have missed in past postseasons. Last year, Iguodala returned between Games 2 and 3 of the NBA Finals. Golden State even managed such a transition with Kerr when he came back to the sideline before Game 2 of the 2017 NBA Finals.

Sedano: Durant's health is clearly the most important factor in this series. If he's healthy, it's probably not very competitive. If he isn't, the series will be prolonged. As great as Curry, Thompson and Green have been in his absence, the Warriors have outscored opponents by about five points per 100 possessions over 440 minutes in these playoffs with that three-man combination on the floor. That isn't a huge margin. They've gotten moments or minutes from Jordan Bell, Quinn Cook and Kevon Looney while KD has missed time. They'll need their mantra, "Strength in Numbers," to continue to be more than a slogan.

MacMullan: If I'm Kerr, I'm plopping Steph Curry in the front row of the film room, splicing together a reel of his senseless, impulsive, ticky-tack, reach-in fouls, and forcing him to watch it. Twice. Toronto will attack Curry and force him to defend. He's no good to the Warriors on the bench.

MacMahon: Let me put on my Captain Obvious cap: When Durant returns and how he looks feels pretty important. Go ahead and point out Golden State's remarkable success with Durant out and Curry in the lineup. The fact that the opponent features a fellow former Finals MVP at small forward makes this just a bit different.

Windhorst: About the only thing in the scouting report that seems to affect the Warriors is physical play. And, listen, it doesn't always work, and it's easier said than done. But it will be in the Raptors' game plan to attack the rim and try to bully Golden State as much as possible. Defensively, this means rough play with Curry on the perimeter. In theory this works, but in practice, it's hard to break the champs' rhythm.


4. Who will be the best player in this series?

MacMahon: Leonard has had the best overall postseason, but nobody is in a better groove right now than Curry, who averaged a cool 35.8 points with a 66.3 true shooting percentage while the Warriors went 5-0 since Durant went down. It stands to reason that the offense will still run through Curry even when Durant returns and tries to shake off rust with the stakes as high as possible.

Pelton: Curry. Taking nothing away from Leonard, the MVP of the playoffs thus far, I think the Warriors are better equipped to contain him with Iguodala and perhaps Durant than the Raptors are to deal with all the value Curry provides Golden State's offense with his playmaking and gravity. I also wonder whether at some point the effect of fatigue and whatever happened with his leg in the last round will catch up with Leonard, who has played 100 more minutes in the playoffs thus far than Curry and 66 more than any Warriors player (Klay Thompson is their leader).

Sedano: Curry. The two-time MVP will get his opportunity to put to rest the narrative that he underperforms in the Finals. I believe that stuff is overstated. He has averaged 27.3 PPG while shooting 45 percent from the field, 41 percent from 3 and 93 percent from the line to go with 5.9 RPG and 5.4 APG in his four previous Finals trips. With Durant missing time, this will be the prime opportunity to put that narrative to rest. To beat a Raptors team on a roll, the Warriors are going to need every ounce of Curry's greatness.

Windhorst: There are a whole bunch of MVPs and Finals MVPs and future Hall of Famers in this series. From game to game, you'll probably see greatness in different shades all over the place. But only one team has an MVP in reserve, which means the Raptors need Leonard to be great for them to have a long-term chance.

MacMullan: In spite of my caution regarding Curry's funky defensive discipline, this feels like his opportunity to earmark this series as his own. He's on a tear, Kevin Durant is on the mend, and though Kawhi has been the best postseason player to date, remember the play from Game 6 against Milwaukee on which he had a clear lane to the basket, hesitated and opted to pass. He did that because he's hobbled and doesn't possess his usual explosion.


5. Who will win this series and in how many games?

Sedano: As he has battled his own playoff demons, Lowry has had some memorable performances in this postseason. Nonetheless, he has yet to be matched up with someone as good as Curry to this point. Couple that with the different looks the Warriors can throw at Kawhi, and I have Warriors in six.

MacMullan: I'm taking the Warriors in six, but my respect for what Toronto has accomplished in these playoffs is immense. The Raptors are tough, together, resilient, well-coached and unflappable. They came back from 15 down twice to kick Milwaukee to the curb, and they believe they belong here. What more can you ask?

Windhorst: I don't make predictions, but I'd strongly advise the Raptors to not think they can survive playing from behind early in the series again. They survived being down 2-1 and 2-0 in the past two rounds, but I wouldn't bet on pulling something like that off against this opponent.

MacMahon: I've got Warriors in six.

Pelton: Golden State in six. Even without Durant, I think the Warriors are capable of earning a split in Toronto, putting themselves in position to close out the series by winning three games at Oracle Arena. As good as the Raptors have been defensively in the postseason, I don't believe they have enough consistent scoring threats to keep up with Golden State's higher-octane attack.

Yankees' Paxton expected to return Wednesday

Published in Baseball
Monday, 27 May 2019 10:45

NEW YORK -- Left-hander James Paxton is likely to rejoin the New York Yankees' rotation Wednesday against San Diego, followed by CC Sabathia this weekend against Boston.

On a day of updates for many of the Yankees' 15 players on the injured list, reliever Dellin Betances threw his first bullpen session Monday and ace Luis Severino said he planned to throw on flat ground Tuesday.

Paxton has not pitched for the Yankees since May 3 because of left knee inflammation that required a cortisone shot May 4. He felt sore after a 55-pitch, four-inning outing Friday at extended spring training, then threw a bullpen session Sunday.

"It felt the best that it's felt since going on the IL,'' Paxton said.

He said the pain was similar to that of a bruise. Paxton, 3-2 with a 3.11 ERA in seven starts, is waiting for clearance from head team physician Dr. Christopher Ahmad. Paxton estimated he would be able to throw about 75 pitches against the Padres.

"As long as it's not going to be a thing where I can make this thing worse by pitching on it, I feel like I'm ready to go,'' Paxton said. "I just don't want to go out there and put myself in jeopardy of tearing something and then I'm out for three months."

Sabathia, 3-1 with a 3.48 ERA in eight starts, went on the injured list Thursday and needed to have fluid drained from his surgically repaired right knee, He planned to throw a bullpen session Tuesday.

"He'll possibly then be in place Sunday to end the homestand,'' manager Aaron Boone said.

Betances has been out since March because of a right shoulder impingement that caused a velocity drop. He threw 20 pitches, all fastballs, and plans to mix in other pitches in his next bullpen Thursday. Betances had not pitched off a mound since March 17, in his fourth and final spring training appearance.

Severino has been sidelined since spring training with right rotator cuff inflammation and a strained right latissimus dorsi muscle in his back. He got hurt warming up before his first scheduled spring training start March 5 and has not thrown on flat ground since April 6.

"Good that he's point at the point where he feels ready to move forward,'' Boone said.

Eighteen Yankees have made a total of 20 stints on the IL, close to last year's total of 20 players making 23 trips to the list.

D-backs' Weaver goes to IL with forearm injury

Published in Baseball
Monday, 27 May 2019 12:29

The Arizona Diamondbacks placed pitcher Luke Weaver on the 10-day injured list one day after the right-hander left his start because of forearm tightness.

Weaver will undergo an MRI Monday in Phoenix to determine the full extent of the injury.

The Diamondbacks announced the roster move before Monday afternoon's game against the Colorado Rockies. Right-hander Jimmie Sherfy was recalled from Triple-A Reno in a corresponding move.

Weaver left Sunday's game against the Giants in the sixth inning after pitching five-plus innings of six-hit ball. He struck out six and walked two.

Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said Sunday that the severity of Weaver's injury wasn't immediately known.

Rockies place Blackmon on IL with calf strain

Published in Baseball
Monday, 27 May 2019 10:47

The Colorado Rockies have placed outfielder Charlie Blackmon on the 10-day injured list with a right calf strain.

Blackmon missed Colorado's last three games because of the injury, meaning he is eligible to be activated June 4.

Blackmon, 32, is batting .300 with 10 home runs and 31 RBIs in 46 games this season. The three-time All-Star also leads the National League with five triples.

The Rockies placed Blackmon on the IL amid a series of roster moves before Monday afternoon's home game against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Outfielder Yonathan Daza was recalled from Triple-A Albuquerque and will start in center field against the Diamondbacks.

Colorado also activated outfielder Noel Cuevas from the IL and optioned him to Albuquerque.

Red Sox 2B Pedroia 'not sure' if he'll play again

Published in Baseball
Monday, 27 May 2019 12:09

Boston Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia said he is "not sure" whether he will play baseball again because of his chronically injured left knee.

Pedroia, 35, discussed his injury at Fenway Park on Monday, shortly after the Red Sox transferred him to the 60-day injured list.

Flanked by manager Alex Cora and president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski, Pedroia said he will shut down his recovery indefinitely in order to ponder his future.

"(I am) at a point right now where I need some time," he said. "That's what my status is. ... Right now I know I need a break from the everyday stresses I've been dealing with."

Dombrowski referred to Pedroia as a "Boston legend" and said there is no timetable associated with his return.

Pedroia acknowledged that "walking is tough" for him on some days but said he does not plan to undergo another knee surgery.

Pedroia said "time will give me the right answer if my knee can do this."

The 2008 AL MVP had surgery on Oct. 25, 2017, and played in just three games last season. This year, he's played in only six games, getting two singles in 20 at-bats.

Pedroia re-aggravated his left knee in a game at Yankee Stadium on April 17 and was put on the 10-day IL with left knee irritation.

He has started and stopped rehab assignments a few times before he removed himself from a game at Double-A Portland last Friday due to soreness.

Indians manager Terry Francona, who was with the Red Sox from 2004-11 and won a World Series titles with Pedroia in 2007, talked with the second baseman earlier Monday. Cleveland is in Boston for a three-game series.

"He came over this morning for about a half hour," Francona said. "I think he's in a pretty good place. I think, I don't want to speak for him, but I think he knows he emptied his tank. He didn't leave any stone unturned. He probably gave more than he should, and his body is feeling it now. I don't think he has any regrets -- nor should he."

Pedroia said the time away will help him think about his future.

"I'm going to go home for a little bit to be with my family, kind of get away for a little bit and then we'll figure it out from there," he said.

He did say he'd be there when the team needs him -- via video chat.

"You can always FaceTime," Cora said, smiling.

"I FaceTime a lot," Pedroia said. "In our hitters' meetings when I was away last year."

Pedroia's knee troubles began in April 2017, when then-Orioles star Manny Machado took out Pedroia with a hard slide at second base.

Pedroia has a $15 million salary this year and is owed $13 million in 2020 and $12 million in 2021, with $2.5 million a year deferred without interest.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

Bill Buckner dies at 69 after battling dementia

Published in Baseball
Monday, 27 May 2019 11:54

Bill Buckner, the longtime major leaguer whose error in the 1986 World Series for years lived in Red Sox infamy, died Monday. He was 69.

"After battling the disease of Lewy Body Dementia, Bill Buckner passed away early the morning of May 27th surrounded by his family," his family said in a statement. "Bill fought with courage and grit as he did all things in life. Our hearts are broken but we are at peace knowing he is in the arms of his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ."

Buckner played 22 seasons in the majors, was an All-Star once and won a batting title in 1980. But it was a ball that went through his legs at Shea Stadium on a cool Oct. 25 night in 1986 that made for one of baseball's most shocking moments.

Boston, looking for its first World Series title since 1918, carried a 5-3 lead into the bottom of the 10th inning of Game 6 against the Mets. New York tied it with two runs, then brought Mookie Wilson to the plate.

Wilson worked a 3-2 count off reliever Bob Stanley, and then, with a runner on second base, bounced a slow roller up the first-base line on the 10th pitch of the at-bat. Buckner ranged to his left, went down to snag the ball behind the bag and watched it roll through his legs and into right field. Ray Knight scored to give the Mets a 6-5 can-you-believe-it win. They took Game 7, too, a gut punch to a Red Sox team a strike away from a long-awaited title just 48 hours earlier.

"We had developed a friendship that lasted well over 30 years. I felt badly for some of the things he went through. Bill was a great, great baseball player whose legacy should not be defined by one play," Wilson said Monday in a statement released by the Mets.

Buckner's Red Sox teammates said he wasn't to blame, noting Boston wouldn't even have been in the World Series without his efforts that season.

"No one played harder than Bill. No one prepared themselves as well as Bill Buckner did, and no one wanted to win as much as Bill Buckner," right fielder Dwight Evans later said.

But many in Red Sox Nation didn't see it that way.

"When that ball went through Bill Buckner's legs, hundreds of thousands of people did not just view that as an error, they viewed that as something he had done to them personally," longtime Boston Globe columnist Bob Ryan once said.

That single moment ended up defining Buckner's career, and even followed him after it.

When he retired in 1990, he and his family remained in Massachusetts. But the taunts and criticism from fans and media remained, forcing them to move to Idaho, where Buckner, an avid outdoorsman, bought a ranch.

When the Red Sox invited him to take part in a ceremony at Fenway Park honoring the 20-year anniversary of the 1986 team, Buckner declined.

But time heals most wounds, and though it took years, the relationship between Buckner and Boston fans eventually warmed.

The first step came in 2004, when the Red Sox finally ended the "Curse of the Bambino" by sweeping the Cardinals in the World Series. For fans, it was a chance to forget about the past and celebrate the present.

The next step came four years later in the Red Sox's 2008 home opener. That previous October, the team had won its second World Series title in four years, and on that April day, they were celebrating it with past and present Boston sports greats. One of them there: Bill Buckner.

From out under a massive American flag draped over the Green Monster, Buckner was introduced to the crowd and walked slowly to the mound amid a standing ovation that lasted nearly two minutes. With tears in his eyes, the left-hander delivered the ceremonial first pitch, a strike to former teammate Evans as the Fenway faithful roared.

"I really had to forgive, not the fans of Boston, per se, but I would have to say in my heart I had to forgive the media," Buckner said of why he decided to return to Fenway. "For what they put me and my family through. So, you know, I've done that and I'm over that."

Buckner, a baseball and football star growing up in Napa, California, was a second-round draft pick of the Dodgers in 1968, going one round after Los Angeles took Bobby Valentine. Buckner made his major league debut as a 19-year-old in 1969, beginning the first of what turned out to be eight seasons with the Dodgers.

Valentine tweeted that he will miss his former teammate.

The Dodgers tweeted "our thoughts and prayers are with the Buckner family."

Buckner was traded to the Cubs in 1977 and enjoyed some of his best seasons in Chicago. He won the NL batting title in 1980, hitting .324. A year later, he was named to his only All-Star team and finished 10th in NL MVP voting. The Cubs dealt Buckner to the Red Sox in May 1984.

"We are deeply saddened by the passing of Bill Buckner, a great ballplayer and beloved member of the Cubs family," Cubs executive chairman Tom Ricketts said in a statement, adding that "after his playing days, Bill served as a valued member of our player development staff and was a fan favorite during his appearances at our Cubs conventions."

In all, Buckner spent 22 seasons in the big leagues, playing first base or the outfield for five teams, including the Red Sox twice; they signed him as a free agent in 1990, but he struggled at the plate in his second stint there and was released before officially retiring. He finished his career with 2,715 hits, 1,208 RBIs, 1,077 runs scored and 174 home runs.

After his playing career, Buckner remained in baseball as a coach, including a stint as the White Sox hitting coach in 1996 and '97, and a return to Massachusetts in 2011 as manager of the independent league Brockton Rox.

He is survived by his wife, Jody, and three children, Brittany, Christen and Bobby, who played baseball collegiately.

PARIS -- Rafael Nadal made light work of qualifier Yannick Hanfmann on Monday, winning 6-2, 6-1, 6-3 to advance to the second round of the French Open.

The 11-time champion at Roland Garros saved four break points in his first service game on Court Philippe Chatrier but was never troubled again by the 184th-ranked German, who was playing for the first time in the French Open main draw.

Nadal later praised the refurbished showcase court where he won his 11 French titles, calling it "very beautiful.''

Frances Tiafoe, at No. 32 the only American seeded in the men's draw, lost 6-2, 4-6, 6-3, 3-6, 6-0 to Filip Krajinovic of Serbia.

After throwing up twice on the court, Tiafoe said he was "very depleted'' for the fifth set. He said he didn't think he had food poisoning because he felt fine before the match.

"Throwing up during the match isn't something that normally happens to me ... I threw up again when I went to the locker room after the third set. The fifth-set result obviously came to that because (I) was obviously very depleted and had nothing really in me. It was tough to end like that," he said.

Tiafoe was coming off his best Grand Slam showing, a quarterfinal run at the Australian Open.

In another instance of an American losing to a Serbian in five sets, Denis Kudla was beaten 6-0, 6-7 (7), 5-7, 6-3, 6-4 by Miomir Kecmanovic.

Also, 12th-seeded Daniil Medvedev wasted a two-set lead in a 4-6, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, 7-5 loss to Pierre-Hugues Herbert of France.

Sixth seed Kvitova withdraws from French Open

Published in Tennis
Monday, 27 May 2019 04:56

Two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova has withdrawn from the French Open with an arm injury but hopes to be fit for the All England Club.

The Czech sixth seed, 29, was due to face Romanian world number 84 Sorana Cirstea in the first round on Monday.

"I've had pain in my left forearm for a few weeks and last night an MRI confirmed a grade-two tear," she said.

She hopes to play at Wimbledon, which starts on 1 July, and is due to feature in June's Birmingham grass-court event.

"They [doctors] said for now two to three weeks off, which means no tennis of course, because it's my left forearm," she added.

"I'm going to do some fitness and everything I can do to prepare my body for grass.

"Of course I'm staying positive for the grass season."

Kvitova, who won Wimbledon in 2011 and 2014, has been replaced in the Roland Garros draw by lucky loser Kaja Juvan of Slovenia.

"I'm truly sad not to be able to play here this year," the world number six said. "It is a really tough decision to make."

Kvitova retired with a calf injury from this month's Italian Open in the third set against Greek Maria Sakkari.

But she was nevertheless among the favourites for the title at Roland Garros as one of this year's in-form players.

She has won two WTA titles in 2019 - at Stuttgart and Sydney - and was also runner-up at January's Australian Open and the Dubai Championships in February.

Former Australian Open champion Caroline Wozniacki says she "ran out of steam" in a surprise first-round defeat by Russian world number 68 Veronika Kudermetova at the French Open.

The Danish 13th seed lost 0-6 6-3 6-3 despite winning the first seven games and said her opponent had "got lucky".

"It's definitely frustrating," the 28-year-old former world number one said.

"It hasn't been a great year for me so far, so I'm going to work hard and try and turn it around."

Wozniacki, who wore strapping on her left calf, won 62% of the total points in the opening set but crumbled in the second and was broken three times.

She went 3-0 behind in the decider before losing a first-round match in Paris for only the third time since 2007.

"I think she got very lucky at the start of the second set and took advantage of the opportunities she got," Wozniacki added.

"I ran out of steam in the end and made some unforced errors that I don't usually do.

"She had a few net cords and good shots on some of the important points at the start of the second set."

The Dane, a two-time quarter-finalist at Roland Garros, withdrew from her first-round match against American Danielle Collins at the Italian Open earlier this month because of a calf injury.

It was the second successive tournament Wozniacki retired early from after she pulled out of her opening match at the Madrid Open with a back injury.

She had won just four matches on clay before her meeting in Paris with Kudermetova, who was playing in only her second Grand Slam main draw.

"I hadn't really been able to play or practise for some weeks, then played my first points a couple of days ago and went from there basically," Wozniacki said.

"But my calf now feels good, so that's a positive. I have to try and stay positive and obviously it's not as easy to stay positive when things aren't going your way."

Wozniacki's exit comes after Czech sixth seed and Australian Open finalist Petra Kvitova withdrew on Monday with an arm injury, while Wimbledon champion Angelique Kerber suffered a shock 6-4 6-2 defeat to world number 81 Anastasia Potapova on Sunday.

Kudermetova will now face Kazakh world number 99 Zarina Diyas or France's Audrey Albie, ranked 289th, in the second round.

Elsewhere, Dutch fourth seed Kiki Bertens comfortably defeated French world number 66 Pauline Parmentier 6-3 6-4 on Suzanne-Lenglen.

And Australian Open quarter-finalist Ashleigh Barty, seeded eighth, beat American world number 72 Jessica Pegula 6-3 6-3.

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