PARIS, May 24 – The opening day of the French Open tennis tournament on Sunday brought dramatic matches and surprising results across the courts in Paris (all times listed in GMT):
2134 DJOKOVIC ADVANCES PAST PERRICARD
Third-seeded Serbian player Novak Djokovic managed to defeat French competitor Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in four sets, winning 5-7 7-5 6-1 6-4 during first-round action.
1854 BASAVAREDDY UPSETS FRITZ
In a major surprise, American Taylor Fritz, seeded seventh, fell to compatriot Nishesh Basavareddy, who holds the 148th world ranking. The 21-year-old wildcard entry secured victory with scores of 7-6(5) 7-6(5) 6-7(9) 6-1 in their opening-round encounter.
1749 FONSECA ADVANCES TO ROUND TWO
19-year-old Brazilian player Joao Fonseca dominated his opening match against Luka Pavlovic, winning 7-6(6) 6-4 6-2. The 28th-seeded player, who made it to round three in the previous year’s tournament, will next meet Croatia’s Dino Prizmic.
1730 RADUCANU ELIMINATED BY SIERRA
Emma Raducanu from Britain, who claimed the 2021 U.S. Open title, was defeated by Argentina’s Solana Sierra with scores of 6-0 7-6(4).
1548 ANDREEVA DEFEATS FERRO
Eighth-seeded Russian player Mirra Andreeva, who reached the semi-finals in 2024, secured a straightforward 6-3 6-3 victory against French player Fiona Ferro.
1514 BAPTISTE ELIMINATES FORMER TITLEHOLDER KREJCIKOVA
26th-seeded American Hailey Baptiste mounted a comeback after dropping the first set to defeat Barbora Krejcikova, the 2021 French Open winner and 2024 Wimbledon champion, with scores of 6-7(7) 7-6(6) 6-2.
1414 ZVEREV OVERPOWERS BONZI
Second-seeded German Alexander Zverev launched his campaign for his maiden Grand Slam championship with a commanding straight-set victory over French player Benjamin Bonzi, 6-3 6-4 6-2.
The three-time Grand Slam finalist, who reached the Roland Garros final in 2024, may see increased opportunities with defending two-time champion Carlos Alcaraz absent due to a wrist injury.
Nevertheless, the 29-year-old confronts significant competition, particularly from world number one Jannik Sinner, who has been in exceptional form.
1205 KHACHANOV DEFEATS GEA
13th-seeded Russian Karen Khachanov eliminated French wildcard entry Arthur Gea with scores of 6-3 7-6(3) 6-0.
1142 BENCIC OVERWHELMS KRAUS
Swiss 11th seed Belinda Bencic handled Austria’s Sinja Kraus with ease, securing a 6-2 6-3 win on Court Philippe-Chatrier.
The Tokyo 2020 Olympic gold medalist hopes for an extended tournament run this year, having never advanced past the third round at Roland Garros previously.
0909 COMPETITION BEGINS
Matches commenced under clear, sunny conditions, with temperatures at Roland Garros reaching approximately 28 degrees Celsius. Public weather service Meteo France predicted temperatures would climb to 34 degrees later in the day.
Former Olympic champion Belinda Bencic, holding the 11th seed, faced Austrian qualifier Sinja Kraus in the opening match on Court Philippe Chatrier.
