PARIS — On the thrilling opening day of the French Open, Lorenzo Musetti and Aryna Sabalenka both marched into the second round with impressive straight-set victories.
The eighth-seeded Musetti triumphed with scores of 7-5, 6-2, 6-0 against Germany’s Yannick Hanfmann, while top-ranked Sabalenka dominated Kamilla Rakhimova, winning 6-1, 6-0 earlier in the day.
Jasmine Paolini, last year’s finalist at both Roland-Garros and Wimbledon, faced a more challenging first-round encounter. The fourth-seeded Italian was broken five times but managed to secure a 6-1, 4-6, 6-3 victory over Yuan Yue on Court Suzanne-Lenglen.
Musetti has showcased remarkable form on clay courts, advancing to at least the semifinals in the last three Masters events: Rome, Madrid, and Monte Carlo, where he lost to four-time Grand Slam winner Carlos Alcaraz in the final. A right-leg injury hampered him during that match, but he showed no signs of distress on Sunday.
During the third set, Musetti thrilled the crowd with an incredible forehand winner following a drop shot from Hanfmann, audibly engaging with the audience as he celebrated.
Although the 23-year-old reached the Wimbledon semifinals last year, he is yet to make it to the quarterfinals in any other Grand Slam event. Nevertheless, he carries the confidence of a champion, stating, “I feel ready to go for the trophy. That’s my primary objective. Clay is definitely the surface where I feel most at ease.”
His victory was met with a thunderous ovation from the crowd at Court Philippe-Chatrier. Was it due to his historic achievement of winning Italy’s first Olympic tennis medal in a century last year or perhaps a remnant of his dramatic 2021 encounter against Novak Djokovic, where he led two sets before succumbing in a thrilling five-set match?
Yet, the enthusiastic atmosphere of the Chatrier crowd was also tinged with anticipation as they awaited the arrival of another tennis legend.
The recently retired Rafael Nadal, who clinched an astounding 14 of his 22 major titles on this very court, was honored with a special trophy during a moving ceremony attended by his old rivals — Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, and Andy Murray — who gathered to bid him farewell.
Earlier, Sabalenka showcased her power with five aces while successfully defending her serve against two break points in her match against the unseeded Rakhimova.
A three-time Grand Slam champion, Sabalenka reached the semifinals at Roland-Garros two years ago, aiming for further success this year.
China’s Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen also advanced to the second round, overcoming 2021 French Open runner-up Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova with a scoreline of 6-4, 6-3.
Who else triumphed at the French Open on Sunday?
American stars Tommy Paul and Frances Tiafoe also progressed to the second round, while fellow American Ben Shelton was set to face Italian Lorenzo Sonego in the night session on Chatrier.
The 12th-seeded Paul overcame unseeded Danish player Elmer Moller with a score of 6-7 (5), 6-2, 6-3, 6-1, while Tiafoe, the 15th seed and a two-time U.S. Open semifinalist, secured victory against Roman Safiullin with a scoreline of 6-4, 7-5, 6-4.
Paul has exhibited solid clay-court form, reaching the semifinals of the Rome Masters this month without losing a set before facing the top-seeded Jannik Sinner.
Swiatek and Sinner set for action on Monday
Three-time defending champion Iga Swiatek kicks off her quest for a fifth Roland-Garros title against Slovakia’s Rebecca Sramkova on Monday, with play commencing at noon on Chatrier, followed by a match featuring four-time major champion Naomi Osaka against 10th-seeded Spaniard Paula Badosa.
Osaka has yet to advance past the third round of the French Open in her career.
Later on Monday, Sinner, a three-time major champion and last year’s semifinalist here, will face Arthur Rinderknech.
