A jam-packed order of play, tricky conditions, stunning upsets, emphatic wins... Monday at Roland-Garros has it all
©Cedric Lecocq / FFTWorld No.1 Novak Djokovic began his title defence campaign in style, blasting into the second round with a 6-3, 6-1, 6-0 result against Japan's Yoshihito Nishioka.
The Serb, who turned 35 yesterday, needed less than two hours to advance to the last-64, where he awaits Slovakian Alex Molcan or Argentine Federico Coria.
No.12 seed Emma Raducanu survived a scare on Monday, rallying back to defeat last year's Roland-Garros junior champion and this year's qualifier Linda Noskova 6-7(4), 7-5, 6-1 in first round action.
Making her Roland-Garros debut, the US Open champion battled for two hours and 37 minutes to set up a second round against Aliaksandra Sasnovich.
©Amélie Laurin / FFTRafael Nadal hurried to a 6-2, 6-2, 6-2 victory over Australian Jordan Thompson on Monday, to claim a reassuring opening-round success at Roland-Garros.
A 13-time champion in Paris, Nadal had question marks surrounding his form coming in, after a chronic foot problem flared up in Rome earlier this month.
But the Spaniard was his typical bulldozing self against the 82nd-ranked Thompson, wrapping up the win in two hours to book a second-round meeting with French lefty Corentin Moutet.
Against Moutet, Nadal will be seeking the 300th Grand Slam match-win of his career.
Barbora Krejcikova's Roland-Garros title defence ended at the very first hurdle as the Czech world No.2 suffered a shock 1-6, 6-2, 6-3 to French teenager Diane Parry on Court Philippe-Chatrier on Monday.
Facing a top-10 player for the first time in her career, Parry blew the roof off centre court as she pulled off a remarkable win in front of her home crowd that was chanting 'Parry, Parry' throughout the closing stages of the two-hour eight-minute contest.
The world No.97 is the lowest-ranked woman to beat a No.2 seed at Roland-Garros since No.114 Arantxa Rus upset Kim Clijsters here in 2011.
Next up for Parry: 20-year-old Colombian Camila Osorio.
World No.1 Iga Swiatek needed just 54 minutes to get through her opening round under the roof on Court Philippe-Chatrier, posting a 6-2, 6-0 victory over Ukrainian Lesia Tsurenko on Monday.
The 2020 Roland-Garros champion extended her current streak to 29 match-wins in a row and is searching for a sixth consecutive title this fortnight.
Tsurenko now falls to 0-7 lifetime against reigning world No.1s.
© Cédric Lecocq/FFTFour Grand Slam champions took to the court at 11:00am this morning for their opening Roland-Garros 2022 matches.
Naomi Osaka was on Court Suzanne-Lenglen, facing American No.27 seed Amanda Anisimova for a second consecutive major.
Osaka's Australian Open title defence earlier this year ended at the hands of Anisimova, and the four-time major champion suffered the same fate in Paris on Monday, falling 7-5, 6-4 to the big-hitting American.
>> ORDER OF PLAY: MONDAY DAY 2
The first three games of the contest went against serve before Anisimova consolidated her advantage for a 3-1 lead.
The Japanese star broke back though, drawing level two games later and the pair remained neck and neck until Anisimova broke to edge ahead 6-5. The 20-year-old American wrapped up the set 7-5 on the 46-minute mark.
Anisimova made her move in game seven of the second set, and despite seeing two match points slip as she was serving for the win, she fired a signature down-the-line backhand to secure her passage to round two.
Her next opponent is Croatian qualifier Donna Vekic.
Former US Open champion Bianca Andreescu fought back from a set and a break down en route to a 3-6, 7-5, 6-0 win over Belgian qualifier Ysaline Bonaventure.
After leading 2-0 in the first set, Andreescu fell behind 3-6, 0-2 to the left-handed Bonaventure, who came into the match battle-tested with three qualifying wins under her belt.
Andreescu clawed her way back into the contest and took the second set 7-5. She opened up a 3-0 lead in the decider before play was interrupted due to rain.
Upon resumption of play, the Canadian rolled through the next three games to punch her ticket to the second round, where she takes on Olympic champion and N.14 seed Belinda Bencic.
Two-time Australian Open winner Victoria Azarenka, the No.15 seed, came back from a set and a break down to battle past Romanian Ana Bogdan 6-7(7), 7-6(1), 6-2, while double Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova, the No.32 seed, took out Hungarian Anna Bondar 7-6(0), 6-1.
American No.13 seed Taylor Fritz is embroiled in a tug of war with Argentine qualifier Santiago Fa Rodriguez Taverna on Court 6.
The reigning Indian Wells champion snagged the opening set in a tie-break after 55 minutes of play. Rodriguez Taverna served for the first set but Fritz broke back when he needed to.
The 22-year-old Rodriguez Taverna is ranked No.201 in the world and is making his Grand Slam debut.
He took the second set off Fritz and proved to be a feisty opponent in these damp conditions.
After the rain delay, Fritz completed a 7-6(2), 3-6, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 win and will next square off with Spaniard Bernabe Zapata Miralles.
Elsewhere, Fritz's compatriot Reilly Opelka was the first seed of the day to make an exit.
The No.17 seed fell 7-6(5), 6-2, 6-3 to Serbia's Filip Krajinovic in one hour and 49 minutes.
Loic Wacziak / FFT
ROLAND-GARROS
20 May - 9 June 2024
