That’s all from our live coverage of day two. Thanks for joining us.
Watch out for Tumaini Carayol’s report from Paris later on – the retiring Gael Monfils headlines the evening session on Philippe-Chatrier while British No 3 Katie Boulter has just arrived on court 8.
Summary
The main stories from day two at Roland Garros so far …
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Stan Wawrinka said “I don’t want to say goodbye” as his final appearance at the French Open ended with a first-round 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 defeat to Jesper de Jong.
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Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen’s return to the venue of her most famous triumph ended with a 6-4 6-0 humbling by the Polish qualifier Maja Chwalinska.
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Elina Svitolina survived a scare against Anna Bondar, coming back to win 3-6 6-1 7-6 (3) and saying “mental strength took me over the line”.
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It was more comfortable for other top seeds in the women’s draw like Iga Swiatek, Elena Rybakina and Amanda Anisimova – who all advanced in straight sets.
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Alex De Minaur eased to victory against British qualifier Toby Samuel, 6-4 6-4 6-2 while Frances Tiafoe saw off fellow American Elliot Spizzirri.
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Spain’s 19-year-old ‘new Rafa’, Rafael Jodar, flew through his first French Open match with a 6-1 6-0 6-4 win against Aleksander Kovacevic.
Men’s singles: Tommy Paul has taken a 2-1 set lead against Rinky Hijikata after coming out on top 7-5 in the third. Elsewhere Raphael Collignon of Belgium is two sets up against Aleksandar Vukic and has just broken back in the third, trailing 1-2 on serve.
Men’s singles: Roman Safiullin has, remarkably, won a few games on the spin in his second set against Casper Ruud, who is serving to stay in it at 5-6. Ruud won the first 6-2. Meanwhile, Hubert Hurkacz has seen off Jaume Munar 6-3 6-3 2-6 6-3 after a valiant last game against serve from the Spaniard. Katie Boulter is up next on that court.
Men’s singles: Peru’s Ignacio Buse has just saved a couple of set points to level things after a tense second-set tiebreak against Andrey Rublev. It’s one set all on court 7.
Women’s singles: Amanda Anisimova, who reached the semi-finals here as a teenager in 2019, has cruised through with a 6-3 6-1 victory against 20-year-old French wildcard Tiantsoa Rakotomanga Rajaonah, who gave Aryna Sabalenka a game at the Australian Open earlier in the year.
Men’s singles: Tommy Paul has fought back to level his match with Rinky Hijikata of Australia at one set all, with the score at 2-2 in the third set. Two-time finalist Casper Ruud has just broken Roman Safiullin in the second set to lead 3-2 in games – the Norwegian won the opening set 6-2.
Updated
Men’s singles: Terence Atmane’s wait to for a win at his home grand slam goes on with Thanasi Kokkinakis edging a four-hour, five-set epic! Atmane balloons a backhand wide after saving two match points in the final game, with a few Australians in the crowd jumping for joy. It finished 6-7 (5) 6-2 4-6 6-3 7-5.
Camilo Ugo Carabelli of Argentina is through to the second round after a straight-sets victory over the USA’s Emilio Nava, 7-6 (10) 6-3 6-3
Raducanu defends decision to return on clay rather than grass
The tears that unexpectedly welled up in Emma Raducanu’s eyes following another difficult loss gave a glimpse into how heavily the last few years have weighed on her. The 23-year-old had been downbeat but philosophical about a 6-0 7-6 (4) defeat against Solana Sierra in the first round of the French Open when she was asked about the trajectory her career has taken since the stars aligned in New York five years ago.
Resilience was the word Raducanu settled on as she fought to control her emotions, and she will need to show more of that as she battles to find form again on the grass. It has once again been a stop-start season for the former US Open champion, who began the year battling a foot injury and then picked up a virus in early February that turned into a post-viral illness. She spent two and a half months away from the tour and the rust was clear as she struggled to find the court for a set and a half against Sierra before at least clawing her way back into the match.
Raducanu had wanted to test herself on clay rather than move straight to preparing for grass, and it was a decision she stood by despite the outcome.
I think I’ve been practising well but it’s been five, six weeks after two months off. It was going to be a big ask coming in. I really wanted to play the French, so that was my decision. I stand by it, because I think I got to experience a grand slam. I never want to miss it. I think I competed as well as I could in the second set with what I had.
That Raducanu is still battling a lingering cough nearly four months after first becoming unwell is clearly a concern, and she would certainly have wanted to head into her most high-profile stretch of the season with confidence levels higher.
The British No 1 also has ranking points to defend having reached the quarter-finals of Queen’s last year and the third round of Wimbledon, where she pushed world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka.
I’m looking forward to getting back on home soil, for sure. Queen’s is always an amazing tournament, so I’m looking forward to starting there. Afterwards, I don’t know, it depends how it goes.
Reporting by PA Media
Women’s singles: Amanda Anisimova has wrapped up the first set 6-3 against the French wildcard Tiantsoa Sarah Rakotomanga Rajaonah.
Other results are …
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E Lys (Ger) bt P Marcinko (Cro) 6-3 6-0
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A Potapova (Aut) bt M Joint (Aus) 6-1 6-2
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Y Putintseva (Kaz) bt T Gibson (Aus) 6-4 4-6 6-1
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V Golubic (Swi) bt P Udvardy (Hun) 6-0 6-2
British No 3 Katie Boulter’s match with Akasha Urhobo has been delayed by Jaume Munar taking his match against Hubert Hurkacz to a third set on court 8.
Extreme heat in Paris affecting clay courts
Tennis players at the French Open say they haven’t experienced conditions this hot at Roland Garros since the Paris Olympics, which were held in July and August. Temperatures for the opening two days have soared to 33C — far beyond normal for late May in the French capital. And it’s forecast to stay that way for the entire first week.
Besides making it uncomfortable for fans and players alike, the sultry conditions have also created faster conditions on court — changing the pace of the game.
Iga Swiatek said …
It is much different. Maybe it was that hot in the Olympics but the balls were different, so I wouldn’t treat it as the same tournament.
Players have been putting bags of ice around their necks on changeovers to stay cool, while fans are refreshing themselves under sprinklers. When workers water the clay courts between sets, they have taken to directing their hoses at spectators begging to be doused too.
Daria Kastakina said …
I don’t remember the last time it was so hot at Roland Garros. Maybe one day. But we’re going to have it for the whole week. You can suddenly just get out of the bench and feel that your focus dropped. So this is a battle which you have to also win … Whoever adapts better to today’s conditions gets it.
The French Open is usually cool compared to the traditional heat at the Australian Open and US Open. The Australian Open has a strict heat protocol that sets thresholds for cooling interventions. In the event of extreme heat, the tournament referee has the authority to suspend play or order extra cooling breaks. French Open organisers did not immediately respond to a request asking if they have a heat protocol.
But some players were embracing the hotter air. Alex De Minaur said …
I’ve always preferred hot and lively conditions to chilly on a clay court, because I feel like I can bring a little bit more of my all-court tennis on this type of surface. It’s easier to be a little bit more aggressive. The ball is jumping. I don’t necessarily have to use as much spin or heaviness, and I can let the conditions do the job for me. And it’s quite physical. I don’t mind the heat.
Alex Michelsen said …
It’s definitely good for us Americans. Generally we’re big serve, big forehand, big ground game and like to play offense. When it’s super hot, the ball is moving through the air very fast. … I was so happy when I saw the forecast.
Reporting by AP
Updated
Men’s singles: Ugo Humbert comes through an all-French affair with Adrian Mannarino 6-3 6-4 6-3 on Philippe-Chatrier. Mannarino battled well in the final came on Humbert’s serve but eventually sent a careless forehand long on match point.
Argentina’s Mariano Navone is also through to the second round in straight sets at the expense of USA’s Jenson Brooksby. Brandon Nakashima has eased through against the veteran Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut in straight sets too.
In terms of British interest, Katie Boulter is in action next on court 8 against the American wildcard Akasha Urhobo. They have to wait for the conclusion of the men’s match between Jaume Munar and Hubert Hurkacz, which the Pole leads 6-3 6-3 2-2.
Toby Samuel, the British qualifier, has exited on the men’s side of the draw after a straight-sets defeat to Alex De Minaur.
Here are the seeds currently in action in the heat at Roland Garros …
Men’s singles
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Andrey Rublev (11) leads Ignacio Buse after a 6-3 first set
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Tommy Paul (24) trails Rinky Hijikata after a 6-4 first set
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Ugo Humbert (32) leads the all-French affair with Adrian Mannarino 6-3 6-3 4-2, with Mannarino serving on Philippe-Chatrier
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Casper Ruud (15) has just started his match against Roman Safiullin
Women’s singles
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Amanda Anisimova (6) has just started her match against French wildcard Tiantsoa Sarah Rakotomanga Rajaonah
Leolia Jeanjean of France has just bowed out after being edged out in two tiebreaks by Kaitlin Quevedo of Spain.
Thanks Yara. One of the main stories of this afternoon has been Elina Svitolina narrowly avoiding another upset to the unseeded Hungarian Anna Bondar, who shocked her in Madrid last month.
The Ukrainian seventh seed could not find her range on Suzanne Lenglen, falling apart in the opening set after cancelling out an early break. Svitolina, however, bounced back in the second but it was not as easy as the 6-1 scoreline suggested.
The 31-year-old fell 3-1 behind in the decider but clawed her way back and broke decisively for 4-3. Serving for the match at 5-4, she was broken to love, losing eight points in a row to find herself trailing 6-5. She held serve to force a super tiebreak, during which her opponent eventually unravelled.
Speaking afterwards Svitolina said …
Definitely the support of you guys has been unbelievable, this kind of battle is never easy. It was an amazing match, I’m pleased with my performance.
A first round like this puts you right on track. Mental strength took me over the line, as well as my physical condition.
Svitolina is expected to sit on Philippe-Chatrier later when her husband, Gael Monfils, starts his final French Open campaign against fellow Frenchman Hugo Gaston.
“I will tell him to enjoy it. He always brings the best show,” she said. Reuters
That is all from me for today but Billy Munday is back to steer you through the rest of the action from day two.
Men’s singles: After the match, Wawrinka was presented with a glass case containing a section of a clay court and two video tributes to his career were displayed on big screens around the stadium – the latter featuring messages directed to Wawrinka from the former champions Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, among other luminaries of the sport.
“It’s hard, I don’t want to say goodbye to you here,” Wawrinka said. “Unfortunately, it’s my last match at Roland Garros, but thank you.
“Me too, I love you,” he added in response to cries from the spectators of ‘we love you, Stan’.
“Thanks to all your support, I wanted to go on as long as possible, to 41 years of age, to continue living moments like this.”
His every point roared on by the crowd but Wawrinka’s best efforts to prolong his stay in Roland Garros, which at one moment left him lying panting on his back, were in vain as De Jong battled into the second round.
“To be honest, it’s not about me today,” the 25-year-old said. “Funny story about Stan, he was playing against my coach when I was a ball kid! It’s all about Stan today.”
Wawrinka, 41, beaten in final French Open appearance
Men’s singles: Stan Wawrinka’s final appearance at Roland Garros has ended in heartbreak as the 41-year-old, who won the tournament in 2015 and will retire this year, lost to Jesper De Jong 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 in the first round. De Jong controlled the baseline from the start, shrugged off Wawrinka’s second-set revival, and broke decisively in the fourth to advance.
Updated
Svitolina triumphs over Bondar 3-6, 6-1, 7-6 (3)
Elina Svitolina rallies from a set down to defeat Anna Bondar. After the Hungarian’s commanding opener, Svitolina seized control with a clinical second set and dominated the super tie-break to advance to the second round.
Women’s singles: Three unforced errors from Bondar after a Svitolina winner and the Ukrainian leads 4-0 in the tie-break …
Women’s singles: Pressure moments now for Svitolina and Bondar. We head to a tie-break in the third after Svitolina holds to love with an ace and brilliant drop shot.
Women’s singles: Earlier today the Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen’s return to the venue of her most famous triumph ended with a 6-4, 6-0 humbling by the Polish qualifier Maja Chwalinska.
China’s Zheng has largely struggled to replicate the form that carried her to the gold medal at the Paris Games two years ago with a chronic right elbow injury stalling her progress and forcing her to undergo surgery last summer.
Chwalinska was delighted with her win over the world No 56, who was ranked No 4 a year ago.
“I didn’t know what to expect, because I don’t have much experience playing against high-ranked players,” Chwalinska told Eurosport. “I felt much more comfortable today than in the last qualifying match … I wanted to focus on myself and play my tennis to the best of my ability.”
Zheng told reporters later that she struggled in the heat and her mindset was affected by the loopy shots that Chwalinska used to disrupt her rhythm on Court seven – with a smaller perimeter area than a show court.
“She had a good game on clay and the court was really small when she played high balls to me,” added Zheng, who will drop outside the Top 100.
“I couldn’t go more back like in the big court. That also makes the difference … and honestly, the conditions were tough for me. The weather has been really hot. “I think the nervousness and the pressure today [also] didn’t allow me to play.”
Men’s singles: Another one going the distance is the All-American clash between Frances Tiafoe and Eliot Spizzirri on Court 7. Tiafoe took the third set 6-4, reclaiming a 2-1 match lead with Dominant serving throughout, and a crucial break in game 9 sealing it after Spizzirri pushed him all the way to 4-4.
Men’s singles: Looks like Stan Wawrinka and Jesper De Jong might go the distance. De Jong leads two sets to one and the Dutch lucky loser broke twice in the third despite Wawrinka’s early fightback, dominating with crisp groundstrokes to reclaim control. 2hr 17min on the clock and counting.
Women’s singles: Lots happening around the grounds. Elina Svitolina has just taken the second set against Anna Bondar, so we go to a decider. After going down 0-30, Svitolina reeled off four straight points, finishing with a backhand winner in that final game to take the set.
Women’s singles: Here is what Elena Rybakina said on court after her win.
I’m really happy with the win of course, there are things to improve but today it’s really hot. It’s tough conditions but I’m happy things worked, and I’m looking forward to the next match.
Rybakina will next take on Ukraine’s Yuliia Starodubtseva as the Kazakh seeks to win her second grand slam of the season after her success at the Australian Open in January.
Despite disappointing runs in the WTA 1000-level events immediately preceding the French Open, the 26-year-old has already lifted a title on clay this season in Stuttgart.
Women’s singles: Elena Rybakina comes out swinging with a 6-2, 6-2 dismissal of Veronika Erjavec. The second seed was relentless on Chatrier, breaking four times across both sets and never allowing Erjavec a foothold in the match in 1hr 15min.
Men’s singles: The 19-year-old Rafael Jodar has just beat Aleksandar Kovacevic in straight sets and is through to the next round as his breakthrough season continues. The 27th seed was relentless in his 6-1, 6-0, 6-4 win, breaking serve six times across three sets and never allowing the American to gain traction.
Men’s singles: Huge victory for Matteo Berrettini who just overcame Márton Fucsovics in 3hr 9min to win 7-6 (2), 5-7, 1-6, 2-6. After dropping the opener in a tie-break, Berrettini seized control midway through and never looked back.
Updated
Thanks Billy and hello again all. A few more matches coming to close and a few exciting ones coming up.
Yara El-Shaboury is back to take you through the next few hours.
Women’s singles latest: Second seed Elena Rybakina has taken the first set against Veronika Erjavec (6-2) while Austria’s Julia Grabher has progressed to the second round with a 6-2 6-2 victory against Rebecca Sramkova. Elise Mertens has won the first set (7-5) against Tatjana Maria.
French watch: With Arthur Rinderknech through today, there are a handful of other home players in action. Luca van Assche, ranked No 63 in the world, is 2-1 up in sets against Lithuania’s Vilius Gaubas, who replaced Patrick Kypson after the American withdrew with abdominal pains.
Terence Atmane, ranked No 52 in the world, is locked in a tight battle with Australia’s Thanasi Kokkinakis in the first set on court 6.
Then there are two all-French affairs on Philippe-Chatrier later on with Ugo Humbert taking on Adrian Mannarino before Gael Monfils starts his final French Open against Hugo Gaston tonight.
On the women’s side, wildcard Tiantsoa Sarah Rakotomanga Rajaonah, the Madagascar-born No 153 in the world, will be up against No 6 seed Amanda Anisimova on Suzanne-Lenglen.
Iga Swiatek took little time in seeing off Australian wildcard Emerson Jones 6-1 6-2 earlier on. The four-time champion in Paris, the last in 2024, has done some talking …
I’m just really happy to play on this court; the first matches are for getting used to conditions, I’m happy the way I played today, tactically.
Nothing comes easy. I feel with more titles it feels harder because everyone expects you to play perfectly, so you have to stay grounded and not take anything for granted.
It’ll be 33C in Paris today – and basically the same until the weekend. Oof.
Stan Wawrinka has opened his 21st French Open this lunchtime – the 2015 champion is a set down to Jesper de Jong (6-3). It will likely be the 41-year-old’s final appearance at Roland Garros, given he is due to retire at the end of this season.
Meanwhile Rafael Jodar is flying, two sets up against Aleksander Kovacevic (6-1, 6-0) at his first French Open. Frances Tiafoe has taken the first set (6-3) against fellow American Elliot Spizzirri.
Updated
British qualifier Toby Samuel’s French Open adventure ended with a first-round loss to eighth seed Alex De Minaur. Samuel made it through qualifying on his first attempt at Roland Garros but this was a huge step up given the 23-year-old had never faced a top-100 player before. He acquitted himself well in hot conditions on his grand slam debut but De Minaur was a class above in a 6-4 6-4 6-2 victory.
Samuel, who was another British player to choose to hone his game at a US college, had the biggest ranking rise of any male player last year, leaping from 1,867 in the world to 266. He has continued his ascent this season and arrived in Paris at a career high of 159, making him the British No 8.
Samuel, who grew up in Dorset and now trains at the University of Bath, looked understandably nervous initially against De Minaur, and the Australian was quickly a break up. But Samuel settled into the contest and briefly threatened to make life difficult for his opponent when he broke the De Minaur serve to lead 2-0 in the second set. His advantage was quickly snuffed out, though, Samuel bouncing his racket on the clay in frustration, and De Minaur ended the match with a run of five games in a row. PA Media
Home favourite Arthur Rinderknech – the highest-seeded Frenchman this year – is safely through to the second round after a 7-6 (5) 6-2 6-3 win over the Austrian qualifier Jurij Rodionov.
On Philippe-Chatrier, second seed Elena Rybakina has come through a tough service game in the opening stages of her match against Slovenia’s Veronika Erjavec. It’s 1-1 in games.
Updated
Rafael Jodar has stormed to the first set against Aleksandar Kovacevic 6-1. The 19-year-old Spaniard was ranked around 700th in the world this time last year while at college in the US. After his recent run at the Madrid Open, Jodar is competing at his first Roland Garros as the 27th seed.
Tim Joyce has been charting the rise of the ‘new Rafa’ …
Updated
Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen’s return to the venue of her most famous triumph ended with a 6-4 6-0 humbling by the Polish qualifier Maja Chwalinska in the first round earlier on.
China’s Zheng has largely struggled to replicate the form that carried her to the gold medal at the Paris Games two years ago with a chronic right elbow injury stalling her progress and forcing her to undergo surgery last summer.
The 23-year-old, who made the Roland Garros quarter-finals last year, took treatment for a foot problem midway through the second set before her first defeat in the opening round of the French Open.
World No 114 Chwalinska, who came through three rounds of qualifying and dished out two bagels along the way, showed no mercy and wrapped up the win to book a clash with either Tatjana Maria or 23rd seed Elise Mertens in the second round. Reuters
Early results
Thanks Yara. Here are today’s first-round results so far …
Men’s singles
P Carreño-Busta (Spa) bt J Lehecka (Cz, 12) 6-3 7-6 (3) 6-3
A De Minaur (Aus, 8) bt T Samuel (GB) 6-4 6-4 6-2
A Michelsen (US) bt A Shevchenko (Kaz) 6-2 6-4 6-2
Women’s singles
J Teichmann (Swe) bt L Samsonova (20) 6-4 6-4
S Bandecchi (Swi) bt C Bucsa (Spa, 31) 6-4 2-6 6-4
M Chwalinska (Pol) bt Zheng Q (Chn) 6-4 6-0
D Kasatkina (Aus) bt Z Sonmez (Tur) 6-4 6-4
J Paolini (Ita, 13) bt D Yastremska (Ukr) 7-5 6-3
I Swiatek (Pol, 3) bt E Jones (Aus) 6-1 6-2
Billy Munday is here to steer you through some more Roland Garros coverage.
Swiatek storms to a 6-1, 6-2 victory against Jones
Tough first round match for Jones. Swiatek may have struggled last year on clay but this was just too easy for her. The world No 3 wins it with three breaks to one but Swiatek’s relentless precision closed it out convincingly on Court Philippe-Chatrier in just under one hour.
Updated
*Jones 1-6, 2-5 Swiatek (* denotes server): Some double faults from Jones; Swiatek digs deep with a backhand return, and Jones’s backhand goes long under pressure. The Pole breaks serve and takes the game.
Updated
Another email comes in on Raducanu’s exit yesterday (see 11.16 BST).
Derek Stubbs writes in:
Winning the US Open was the worst thing that could have happened to her. It was obvious at the time that it was a freak result due to the effects of Covid on so many better players. She has spent her life since then trying to live up to a standard which is simply beyond her – hence the injuries, illnesses, and constant change of coaches, to say nothing of the media hype, which has been totally out of proportion to her meagre achievements and talent.
I certainly think media hype and her injuries have not helped and maybe in another era where the women’s game isn’t as strong as it is now, she would be performing better. We’re also seeing more well-rounded players and less surface specialists. Could she have thrived if she homed in on hard court?
Send me an email if you have any thoughts on anything Roland Garros.
Jones 1-6, 2-4 Swiatek* (* denotes server): Swiatek holds to love. She wins it with an ace after zero errors and Jones has no answers.
*Jones 1-6, 2-3 Swiatek (* denotes server): Jones crawls back after two Swiatek unforced errors opened the door and the Australian’s backhand winner sealed the break. She then holds with a crisp serve on game point.
Jasmine Paolini, a finalist here at Roland Garros, gets through her tricky match against Yastremska where after weathering a scrappy first set with five combined breaks, Paolini dominated the second to seal her first-round victory.
Kasatkina also triumphs with a composed 6-4, 6-4 victory over Sonmez. Both sets featured lively break exchanges, but after Sonmez’s early break for 3-1 in the second, Kasatkina fought back brilliantly, three breaks to two, for the win.
Jones 1-6, 0-2 Swiatek* (* denotes server): The world No 3 wins the opening two games of this set. The unforced errors are pilling up for Jones.
Women’s singles: Huge upset as the Paris 2024 Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen, who won on gold on these courts, is out in the first round after losing to the Polish qualifier Maja Chwalinska 6-4, 6-0.
We will bring you the quotes from both players when they come.
Updated
Some scores from across the grounds:
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Paolini 7-5, 5-3 Yastremska
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De Minaur 6-4, 6-4, 1-1 Samuel
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Kasatkina 6-4, 5-4 Sonmez
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Van Assche 6-4, 4-2 Gaubas
Updated
Swiatek takes the first set 6-1 against Jones
Swiatek holds to love and takes the set with a clinical finish – three Jones forehand errors and a body-serve ace wrapped it up in four swift points.
The Pole takes the first set by breaking Jones three times. Jones grabbed one break but Swiatek’s groundstrokes dominated throughout.
Updated
*Jones 1-5 Swiatek (* denotes server): Swiatek is making it look so easy now. Jones never found her footing with three unforced errors surrendered a 0-40 deficit and Swiatek converted at the first opportunity.
Jones 1-4 Swiatek* (* denotes server): Quick game as Swiatek’s only mistake is a double fault to make it 30-15. Another forehand winner and she holds.
*Jones 1-3 Swiatek (* denotes server): Jones is trying to vary her shots and she hits a good slice but Swiatek is beating the teenager with two forehand winners for two break points. A rally of 10 shots follows and another Swiatekforehand winner gives her the break.
Jones 1-2 Swiatek* (* denotes server): Better from Jones. Six shots of baseline exchanges, and Jones finishes it off with a forehand winner past Swiatek to make 30-15 in her favour. Swiatek’s backhand then goes long after 11 shots between the pair. However Swiatek crawls back and takes it to deuce. The pair exchange advantages for a while but Jones strikes and gets the break back with a forehand winner.
*Jones 0-2 Swiatek (* denotes server): Swiatek breaks Jones at love. Three break points at 0-40, sealed with a crushing forehand winner.
Updated
Jones 0-1 Swiatek* (* denotes server): Swiatek takes the first game with relative ease, a dominant hold to love. Jones hit three unforced errors as Swiatek’s groundstrokes controlled every rally.
My early prediction is that I am worried this might get ugly. Again, Jones has never played a senior clay court match. Not even a qualifier or a warm up tournament. This is such a big ask.
Women’s singles: I will be focusing on the Jones v Swiatek match but will bring you updates across the courts in between. For now, a quick email from Rob:
Watching Raducanu was just sad yesterday. I don’t think anyone can take her slam away from her but it is looking more and more like that was just a freak result that will never happen again.
Do you have any thoughts on Raducanu’s exit? Or any predictions for today’s matches? I want to hear them. Get in touch via email.
Updated
Men’s singles: Alex De Minaur takes the first set 6-4 against Toby Samuel. The eighth seed broke the Briton in the fifth game after a grueling 23-shot rally, held off a break-back, and sealed it with a 193km ace.
Updated
Women’s singles: Iga Swiatek kicks off her bid for a fifth French Open title on Court Philippe-Chatrier against the Australian teenager Emerson Jones. Jones has never played on clay at the WTA level – what a challenge this is going to be.
Updated
Women’s singles: Jasmine Paolini takes the first set against Dayana Yastremska. The Italian holds to love with four clean points to make it 6-5 with Yastremska’s returns kept finding the net or sailing long. In the final game the two traded breaks throughout, but a crucial 0-40 break in the final game sealed it for the 13th seed.
Updated
Day two order of play
Here is today’s order of play on the main courts.
Court Philippe-Chatrier
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Emerson Jones v (3) Iga Swiatek
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Veronika Erjavec v (2) Elena Rybakina
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(32) Ugo Humbert v Adrian Mannarino
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Hugo Gaston v Gael Monfils
Court Suzanne-Lenglen
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(22) Arthur Rinderknech v Jurij Rodionov
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(7) Elina Svitolina v Anna Bondar
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Tiantsoa Rakotomanga Rajaonah v (6) Amanda Anisimova
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Daniel Merida v (5) Ben Shelton
Court Simonne-Mathieu
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(13) Jasmine Paolini v Dayana Yastremska
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Stan Wawrinka v Jesper de Jong
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(15) Casper Ruud v Roman Safiullin
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Anastasia Zakharova v (10) Karolina Muchova
Before we get to today’s action, a recap on what went down on day one. An emotional Emma Raducanu was at a loss to explain her horror start at the French Open as she crashed to a first opening-round loss.
The British No 1 failed to win a game in a one-sided opening set against Argentina’s Solana Sierra, hitting zero winners and making 15 unforced errors. Raducanu looked like she could be heading for one of the worst defeats of her career when she trailed 4-1 in the second set but she found a belated foothold, fighting back to force a tie-break before losing 6-0 7-6 (4).
“It was difficult,” said the 23-year-old, who made 42 unforced errors in total. “I don’t think I’ve fully processed it yet, so it’s hard to speak about the match right now.
“But I have to at least take the fact that, from a set and 4-1 down, I came back and made it competitive in the second set. I’m pretty disappointed. Obviously, I wanted to do better.
“I went on the court, I felt like the conditions were extremely lively and I felt like I wasn’t able to trust my shots and didn’t feel like I had control over the ball. I think probably just a bit light on matches, a bit light on confidence coming into the tournament.
“The first set happened super quickly, and it’s not a nice feeling when the points and the games are going very, very fast. I’m glad at least in the second set I was able to get a few games on the board.”
Elsewhere, tears of joy flowed for Fran Jones after a long-awaited first grand slam victory at the French Open. The 25-year-old Briton has had a torrid year, with a leg injury and concussion keeping her off the court and pushing her back outside the Top 100, and she could not contain her emotions after battling from a set down to defeat former semi-finalist Beatriz Haddad Maia 1-6 7-6 (4) 6-2.
“Normally I’m one to say you shouldn’t cry until the tournament is over but I think, everything I’ve been through this year, it’s really been challenging,” said Jones. “I know I’m dangerous on this surface. I know I’ve not been on my best form, but it gives you belief.”
Preamble
Bonjour! The sun is shining in Paris and day two of Roland Garros brings a packed slate of opening-round action with the biggest stars beginning their campaigns across the courts.
Iga Swiatek opens her title bid against Emerson Jones, with the world No 3 expected to set the standard on her favourite surface where she has won four grand slams. Elena Rybakina is also in action, hoping to follow up her Australian Open victory with a strong showing on the clay. Katie Boulter also takes the court, hoping to equal and eventually go beyond her best finish in Paris – the second round.
Rafael Jodar’s rise this year has been one of the storylines of the season so far with the young Spaniard being seeded at the French Open after being ranked outside the world’s Top 700 not too long ago. He faces the fast-paced Aleksandar Kovacevic. Ben Shelton faces another young Spaniard in Daniel Merida while the former champion Stan Wawrinka takes on Jesper de Jong in his final season on tour.
So much action, so much to look forward to. Join me.
