For the second straight year, Anastasia Myskina made history at the French Open, though this time it was not a moment she will cherish.

The defending champion lost 6-4, 4-6, 6-0 to Spain’s Maria Sanchez Lorenzo in the first round yesterday, a year after she became the first Russian woman to win a Grand Slam. Never before at the French Open had the previous year’s champion, male or female, been ousted in the first round.

The sixth-seeded Myskina has now lost her first match in three straight tournaments as she struggles with her confidence, a sore shoulder, and the health of her mother, who is suffering from a life-threatening illness. Lorenzo, ranked no. 109, was the second straight woman ranked outside the top 100 to hang a horrible defeat on the Russian.

As Grand Slam upsets go, yesterday’s ranks among the most painful to watch. Myskina made 69 unforced errors, an astounding number for any player, never mind one who relies on consistency and moxie to beat more powerful opponents.

“Right now I can lose to anybody,” Myskina told reporters afterwards. “No matter who’s playing against me, the girl’s winning. She played normal tennis. I can’t say she did something special to beat me.”

Believe her. Lorenzo, who hits two-handed on both her forehand and backhand, made 48 unforced errors of her own, including seven double faults. Hitting four winners and 18 unforced errors won’t win many sets, unless your opponent misfires 28 times, as Myskina did in the first set. Yes, that’s nearly three errors a game, which translates to a 0-40 deficit every game.

Even on their worst days, professional tennis players almost never bear any resemblance to the hackers who populate our local parks and clubs. A few extra errors or double faults, and maybe a handful of bad decisions, is often all that distinguishes a respectable victory from a horrible defeat.

Yesterday was a different story. Myskina looked bewildered, missing forehands from every angle. Her backhand looked even worse: Her swing was rushed, leading to several balls that landed in the middle of the net. When Myskina did find the court, her shots regularly hovered around the service line, giving Lorenzo plenty of time to prepare and lots of options for an attack.

After breaking serve to capture the second set, Myskina immediately began to fold. Trailing 2-0, she climbed back from 0-40 on her serve only to lose the game on a backhand error. Lorenzo went ahead 5-0 when Myskina sliced a backhand three feet wide of the doubles alley. In all, the defending champ committed a whopping 19 errors in the third set, which lasted all of six games.

Myskina’s early exit opens a clear path to the quarterfinals for Venus Williams, who defeated Spain’s Marta Marrero 6-3, 6-2 yesterday. Though Williams, seeded 11th, made 33 errors and was broken in the first game of the match, she made up for her wildness with 38 winners. Most encouraging, 21 of them came at the net, which she approached 27 times. Williams volleys well and has one of the longest wingspans on tour. She only makes life easier for her opponents when she anchors herself to the baseline.

In other action yesterday, top seed Lindsay Davenport also struggled with her inner Myskina, dropping the opening set to Katarina Srebotnik before prevailing 3-6, 6-2, 6-2. Thankfully for the American, tennis can still be a satisfying game despite 54 unforced errors. Just ask your local hacker.