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Article snippet: PARIS — If Petra Kvitova had been just a worthy adversary who lost a competitive match on Sunday, she still would have walked off center court at Roland Garros a winner for her bravery and determination. In December, while fending off a knife-wielding home invader at her apartment in Prostejov, Czech Republic, Kvitova grabbed the blade as it was poised at her neck, and during the ensuing struggle, she sustained severe injuries to her left hand, the one she uses to serve and to hit penetrating groundstrokes. She needed nearly four hours of intricate surgery to repair the hand and save her career. On Sunday, Kvitova returned to the game more than a month earlier than expected, and in just 1 hour 14 minutes, she showed the tennis world that she would not be cowed, delivering a convincing 6-3, 6-2 victory over 85th-ranked Julia Boserup of the United States in the first round of the French Open. “This match was special to me,” said Kvitova, the No. 15 seed, who had declared that just entering the French Open was a victory. “I won for the second time, if I can say,” she said. The opening day was not so sweet for Angelique Kerber of Germany, the No. 1 seed, who was ousted by unseeded Ekaterina Makarova of Russia, 6-2, 6-2. Kerber became the first top seed to lose in the first round at Roland Garros in the Open era, which began in 1968. Serena Williams lost in the second round as a No. 1 seed in 2014, as did Justine Henin of Belgium in 2004. Clay is Kerber’s least favora... Link to the full article to read more