French Open 2025 Qualification: Heather Watson's main draw hope ends, but Fran Jones wins
The momentum swung back and forth in the opening ceremony between Watson and Savile, and after the British initially broke, the British rally led 4-2 only to upgrade Savile.
Watson, who was four positions higher than Saville in the 130 season, fought back at one game from a 40-0 victory, but she couldn't get the first fixed point.
Another break exchange confirmed the tiebreak – but the referee committee violated the game for the second time after Watson initially refused to continue the game.
She claimed she had been waiting for a ball to be returned to her rather than deliberately delaying this, but the referee disagreed.
Savile eventually stepped in and asked the referee to give her first return to Watson.
Australia's former World 20 then dominated the game and brought that momentum into the second set, quickly gaining a 3-0 lead.
Watson briefly threatened a comeback when it broke with a 3-2 score, but Saville was able to reset and end the victory with another three-game winning streak.
Jones is ranked 113th and will end the game for the first time before it resumes in the game.
The 24-year-old aims to qualify for her second overseas grand slam of her career and reached the Australian Open in 2021.
