New York (AFP)

The crisis of confidence has again struck Caroline Garcia, eliminated on Monday in the first round of the US Open by Tunisian Ons Jabeur (62), while Kristina Mladenovic managed a great performance by dismissing the 2016 winner Angelique Kerber.

Garcia lost 7-6 (10/8), 6-2 in 1:30.

"Trust, you lose it like that in one second and to recover, you have to whip for a long time," said the French N.1 and 27th world. She has not won a single game in three tournaments (US Open, Cincinnati and Toronto) since her defeat in the second round in Jurmala.

Since winning the Nottingham tournament in June, the 25-year-old has played seven tournaments and has never done better than a quarter-final the following week in Mallorca. For the rest, she has four defeats in the first round and two in the second.

"It's very difficult to live every day like this, to get out of it and have the confidence you want to win games so ... it's complicated," she said.

Against Jabeur, she went through times when confidence seemed to be able to return.

Led in the first set, she managed to break up to return to 6-6, but she gave in the decisive game.

- "Hanging set" -

"Of course the first set was very hung, I came back several times, but I was not able to seize the opportunities in the tiebreak and get the match, it was hard to lose that first set but I knew it was not over because I managed to break it in the 2nd, "Garcia said.

Indeed, she took the service of Jabeur to lead 2-1 in the second set, but the Tunisian immediately disbursed to line up five consecutive games and win.

"Whenever you had to accelerate a little or get a little more points, I did not have the confidence to do it, and suddenly it was a little too passive from time to time and she, she 'is engaged correctly in his strikes,' lamented the Frenchwoman.

On the contrary, Mladenovic (54th) got a good qualification at the expense of Kerber, ex-world N.1 today 14th, 7-5, 0-6, 6-4.

In the next round, the 26-year-old Frenchwoman will face her compatriot Fiona Ferro (74th).

After a first set run she won on her fourth set ball, Mladenovic completely dropped the second.

"I felt a point in the lower back at the end of the first set," she explained.

"It was just muscle spasm, I do not want to talk about injury," she added.

For the rest, the first day was complicated for some of the favorites of the women's tournament.

Karolina Pliskova, third in the world, took 1h46 to drive away her Czech compatriot Tereza Martincova (138) 7-6 (8/6), 7-6 (7/3).

- Waiting for Serena-Sharapova -

"It's not my best performance, but she did a great game," Pliskova said.

"Losing three games of match entry service will not be possible for the future," she said, "but winning two tie breaks is good."

The Australian Ashleigh Barty, N.2 at the WTA and who, like Pliskova, covets the world throne in New York, has also had misfires on ignition.

The Australian winner of Roland-Garros in June had to fight three sets to eliminate Kazakhe Zarina Diyas (80th) 1-6, 6-3, 6-2.

The first qualifier of this edition of the US Open was the Japanese Kei Nishikori, 7th in the world, who benefited from the injury dropout of his opponent, the Argentine Marco Trungelliti (205) from qualifying.

But the games that the public expects Monday are yet to come, on the monumental court Arthur-Ashe.

The clash between American public favorite Serena Williams (8th) and Russia's Maria Sharapova (87th) will open the night session before Roger Federer's entry into the running.

© 2019 AFP