The Southern California native suffered a first-round loss to Alexei Popyrin in Geneva in his only match on clay before heading to Paris to make his 10th main draw appearance at Porte D’auteuil. 

He wasn't ready for what hit him on Sunday.

Basavareddy, a former collegiate player at Stanford University who received a wild card for winning the USTA’s Roland-Garros Wild Card Challenge, recorded his first career top 10 win and became the first American to notch a top 10 win at Roland-Garros since 2000. 

Was it the biggest win of Basavareddy's career?

"Definitely," he told the crowd, after thanking them in French at the start of his interview.

"What a match. Taylor's obviously a great player, so super happy to get through that, especially after losing the third set. First French Open main draw, and all the support, it's incredible."

It was a disappointing day for Fritz on the terre battue. Befuddled by a steady diet of drop shots from Basavareddy, the former world No.4's lack of match play showed. 

“It shouldn't come as a huge surprise if you are in the weeds of tennis and you understand that Fritz is so underprepared competitively,” said two-time Roland-Garros champion Jim Courier, who commentated the match for TNT. “He’s prepared his body to withstand the troubles that his knee tendinitis has been giving him, but he’s only played one match in the last two months."

The former US Open finalist demonstrated determination late in the third set, saving a match point and converting his fifth set point to stay alive, but he couldn't contain Basavareddy in the fourth.

The drop shots were part of the plan for the 21-year-old, whose variety and versatility were on display across the three hour and 23-minute tussle.

"That was definitely a part of the game plan today, but with more and more confidence of hitting that shot well, it just kept coming," he said. "And it worked. I mean, he was so far back, especially on return. I wanted to move him up and back and make the match a little bit more linear, instead of side to side."

The few words of Basavareddy's French that drew applause from the Lenglen crowd was part of the plan also.

"I was working with a French coach earlier this year, so I was taking classes for five months," Basavarredy said. "I've done it much less, but I would say I'm conversational sort of, so, it's good to use it here."

The right path

Basavareddy has not traveled in a straight line since turning pro. After a breakout success early in 2025 that featured his first ATP semifinal and his first main draw Grand Slam win, he broke the top 100 in June. At this year's Australian Open he was all the way back at No.242.

Credit his resilience for embracing the grind, and arresting his fall. He's up to No.131 in the live rankings with today's win.

"I had a good breakout in my first 250, and a Slam as well last year, and then slowed down a little bit when we switched surfaces to clay and grass," he explained. "I think it was all important to learn that. I definitely didn't expect it, but I think every player has their own sort of journey, their own path.

"I think it definitely taught me a lot about who I need around me, what types of scheduling I need to do, what I need to improve on.

"It was eye-opening to start, losing so much and then to kind of figuring out how to improve again. Now I feel like I'm on the right trajectory."

Basavareddy will face either Alexander Shevchenko or Alex Michelsen in the second round.