Jannik Sinner stormed into the second round of the French Open on Tuesday, while fellow world number one Aryna Sabalenka also opened her Roland Garros campaign in dominant fashion.
Sinner needed just over two hours to dispatch French wildcard Clément Tabur 6-1, 6-3, 6-4, extending his remarkable winning streak to 30 matches.
Having swept all three clay-court Masters 1000 titles in the lead-up to Roland Garros, the 24-year-old Italian looks increasingly unstoppable on the red dirt.
With two-time defending champion and world number two Carlos Alcaraz absent from the draw, top seed Sinner has emerged as the overwhelming favourite to claim his maiden Coupe des Mousquetaires in the men’s final on June 7 and complete a career Grand Slam.
“Pressure is always going to be there,” Sinner told reporters.
“It’s normal, and I try to handle it naturally. If you don’t feel pressure, it means you don’t care. I care deeply about what I’m trying to achieve on a tennis court.”
He underlined his status as the player to beat in Paris with a ruthless display against the world number 171, striking 40 winners while committing just 21 unforced errors.
Sinner will next face Argentina’s Juan Manuel Cerundolo in the second round.
Sabalenka, meanwhile, eased past Spain’s Jessica Bouzas Maneiro 6-4, 6-2 on Court Philippe Chatrier as soaring temperatures continued to shape the opening week of the tournament.
The Belarusian’s only stumble came when she failed to serve out the match, but the four-time Grand Slam champion responded immediately with another break to seal victory and set up a second-round clash with France’s Elsa Jacquemot.
“The first rounds are never easy for me,” Sabalenka said. “But as the tournament goes on and I get more comfortable, my level improves.”
After battling cold, wet conditions in Rome earlier this month and during practice week in Paris, Sabalenka admitted the heat may actually work to her advantage.
“It was definitely warm,” she joked. “When I first arrived it was around 14 degrees — freezing. Now it’s boiling hot, the balls are flying and everything is much faster. But physically I feel strong, so I think those conditions can benefit me.”
Gauff cruises through
Defending women’s champion Coco Gauff made a commanding start, brushing aside fellow American Taylor Townsend 6-4, 6-0.
The fourth seed laughed off the intense heat, pointing out she grew up in Florida, but sympathised with spectators enduring the conditions.
“Honestly, I felt worse for the fans,” Gauff said. “You’re sitting out there in the heat and I just hoped nobody passed out. I’m glad I finished quickly.”
Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime survived a gruelling five-set battle against Germany’s Daniel Altmaier, eventually prevailing in a deciding tie-break to reach the second round.
Russian sixth seed Daniil Medvedev was less fortunate, suffering another early Roland Garros exit after losing in five sets to Australian wildcard Adam Walton. It marked the seventh first-round defeat of Medvedev’s 10 French Open appearances.
“I know I’m capable of playing well here,” Medvedev said. “I know I can perform at Roland Garros.”
American fifth seed Jessica Pegula also crashed out after falling 1-6, 6-3, 6-3 to Australia’s Kimberly Birrell.
Alexander Bublik joined the list of surprise exits as the ninth-seeded Kazakh lost in four sets to Germany’s Jan-Lennard Struff.
Former world number one Naomi Osaka began her campaign strongly, defeating Germany’s Laura Siegemund 6-3, 7-6 (7/3).
Last year’s breakout star at Roland Garros, Lois Boisson, was unable to reproduce her stunning run to the semi-finals, losing 6-2, 6-2 to 22nd seed Anna Kalinskaya.
Eighteen-year-old American prospect Iva Jovic continued her rise with a comfortable 6-4, 6-2 win over Alexandra Eala, booking a meeting with compatriot and former world number eight Emma Navarro, who advanced in straight sets against Indonesia’s Janice Tjen.
Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko also impressed, needing just over an hour to defeat Czech player Nikola Bartunkova while dropping only three games.
French 17-year-old Moise Kouame celebrated his first victory at his home Grand Slam with an emphatic 7-6 (7/4), 6-2, 6-1 win over 2014 US Open champion Marin Cilic of Croatia.
AFP
