Venus Williams, Murguruza exit French Open

There will be a first-time Grand Slam champion at the French Open. And there's a week left in the tournament to figure out which of the 12 women still in contention will win tennis’ second Grand Slam title.

Venus Williams was the last of the past major title winners in the draw, and she lost in the fourth round to 30th-seeded Timea Bacsinszky 5-7, 6-2, 6-1 at Court Philippe Chatrier yesterday.

That happened less than an hour after defending champion Garbine Muguruza was beaten 6-1, 3-6, 6-3 by 13th-seeded Kristina Mladenovic at Court Suzanne Lenglen.

The only other two women with a Grand Slam trophy on their resumes who made it to the fourth round — Svetlana Kuznetsova and Samantha Stosur — lost earlier yesterday to women without one.

Kuznetsova, who won the 2009 French Open and 2004 U.S. Open, was ousted by two-time major finalist Caroline Wozniacki 6-1, 4-6, 6-2, while 2011 U.S. Open champion Stosur was eliminated by 19-year-old Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia 2-6, 6-2, 6-4.

Mladenovic will face Bacsinszky next, and Wozniacki meets Ostapenko. Plus, all eight women who play for quarterfinal berths today are seeking a first major title.

Heading into this French Open, many figured the women's draw was wide open, because of the absences of Williams' sister, Serena, and Maria Sharapova.

This was Muguruza's first attempt at defending a Grand Slam championship, and she ran into a determined Mladenovic, who was backed by a vocal crowd of countrymen who chanted her nickname, Kiki, throughout the match.—AP