The rowdy spectators in Court Philippe Chatrier would have been pulling for Razzano anyway, of course, because of her citizenship. But their support was particularly strong because of her recent heartbreak, well-known in France: Razzano’s fiance — Stephane Vidal, also her longtime coach — died at age 32 of a brain tumor in May 2011, a little more than a week before her first-round match at last year’s French Open.

He had encouraged her to go ahead and enter the tournament, so she did, honoring his memory by stepping on court to play, a black ribbon pinned to her shirt. When she walked out of the locker room for what turned out to be a straight-set loss, she wore a gold chain that Vidal had given her as a Valentine’s Day gift a few years earlier.

“Honestly, the past is the past,’’ Razzano said Tuesday, when she dealt with leg cramps starting in the second set. “I think now I did my mourning. I feel good today. It took time.’’

Said Williams: “I know of her story and her husband. We all have stories. I mean, I almost died, and Venus is struggling herself. So, you know, it’s life. You know, it just depends on how you deal with it. She obviously is dealing with it really well.’’

Williams’ exit was by far the most newsworthy development on Day 3 at Roland Garros, where Maria Sharapova won 6-0, 6-0, and Rafael Nadal began his bid for a record seventh French Open championship with a straight-set victory.

Williams entered Tuesday having won her previous 17 matches, all on clay. She withdrew before what would have been her most recent match, a semifinal at the Italian Open on May 19, citing a bad lower back, but said on Friday she was better, then refused to place blame on that injury after being beaten by Razzano.

“No, no, no. I didn’t feel anything abnormal,’’ said Williams, who counts the 2002 French Open among her 13 Grand Slam singles trophies. “I was 100 percent healthy.’’