Rafael Nadal kicked off his quest for a 14th French Open title with a straight-sets win over Jordan Thompson, however former world primary Naomi Osaka and defending champion Barbora Krejcikova tumbled out within the first spherical on Monday.
Nadal, on a quarter-final collision course with Novak Djokovic, brushed Australia’s Thompson apart 6-2, 6-2, 6-2 to enhance his Roland Garros document to 106 wins and simply three losses since his 2005 title-winning debut.
“I’m very happy with the victory today. I’m happy to get through in three sets,” stated Nadal, seeded fifth. “It’s a first round, a positive match for me. Straight sets but with significant room for improvement.”
The Spaniard, who final week downplayed considerations over the recurrence of a foot damage that plagued him in Rome, meets Corentin Moutet in spherical two after the French wildcard defeated 2015 champion Stan Wawrinka.
American 13th seed Taylor Fritz, who missed the Madrid and Rome Open with damage, clinched a hard-fought 7-6 (7-2), 3-6, 6-3, 4-6, 6-Four win over Argentina Santiago Rodriguez Taverna.
Fritz’ compatriot Reilly Opelka, seeded 18th, misplaced to Filip Krajnovic in straight units earlier.
Osaka, the unseeded four-time Grand Slam winner, was knocked out earlier within the day 7-5, 6-Four by Amanda Anisimova — the identical participant who ended the Japanese star’s title defence on the Australian Open this 12 months.
Osaka served eight double faults and dedicated 29 unforced errors on her return to Roland Garros, after withdrawing in 2021 when she refused to honour obligatory media commitments earlier than revealing she had been affected by despair.
As rain stopped play on the skin courts for 2 hours, Krejcikova adopted Osaka by the exit door, happening 1-6, 6-2, 6-Three to 19-year-old Frenchwoman Diane Parry in her first match since February following damage.
The Czech world quantity two had but to play on clay this season after being sidelined by an elbow downside.
Iga Swiatek, the favorite for the ladies’s title, stretched her successful streak to 29 matches by dispatching Ukrainian qualifier Lesia Tsurenko 6-2, 6-Zero in 54 minutes.
The 20-year-old Swiatek, who took over as world primary following Ashleigh Barty’s shock retirement, has gained her final 5 tournaments and is bidding for a second French Open in three makes an attempt.
Former world primary Victoria Azarenka got here again from a set all the way down to prevail 6-7 (7-9), 7-6 (7-1), 6-2 in a gruelling three-hour battle in opposition to Ana Bogdan to advance to the second spherical, the place she’s going to meet Germany’s Andrea Petkovic.
Twice Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova rallied from 2-5 to take the primary set in opposition to Hungarian Anna Bondar on the tiebreak earlier than cruising by the second to triumph 7-6 (7-0), 6-1. She’s going to meet Australia’s Daria Saville within the second spherical.
Former US Open champion Bianca Andreescu, who returned to motion in April following a six-month psychological well being hiatus, moved into the second spherical with a 3-6, 7-5, 6-Zero win over Belgian qualifier Ysaline Bonaventure.
In Sunday’s late motion, Spain’s 19-year-old Carlos Alcaraz lived as much as the mounting hype with a successful begin.
Alcaraz, bidding to change into simply the eighth teenager to seize a serious males’s title, defeated Argentine fortunate loser Juan Ignacio Londero 6-4, 6-2, 6-Zero with out going through a break level on his Court docket Philippe Chatrier debut.
Extensively tipped to finish the dominance of 13-time champion Rafael Nadal and two-time winner Novak Djokovic, Alcaraz prolonged his season document to 29 wins and simply three losses.
German third seed Alexander Zverev, a semi-finalist final 12 months and who’s scheduled to face Alcaraz within the quarter-finals, additionally eased into the second spherical with a 6-2, 6-4, 6-Four win over Austria’s Sebastian Ofner, the world quantity 218.
Within the ladies’s draw, Greek fourth seed and 2021 semi-finalist Maria Sakkari made the second spherical with a 6-2, 6-Three win over France’s Clara Burel.
Coco Gauff defeated Canadian qualifier Rebecca Marino 7-5, 6-0, a day after the 18-year-old celebrated her highschool commencement.
Leylah Fernandez, final 12 months’s US Open finalist, defeated Frenchwoman Kristina Mladenovic 6-0, 7-5.
