Otherwise, join me again at 10am BST tomorrow!
Reflecting on what Nadal says, my guess is he’d pretty much planned to can it, but played really well against one of the best players in the world, in the process showing himself he can still do it. He’d have beaten almost anyone else on today’s form, and a kinder draw might’ve allowed him to ease into the second week; I’m not surprised he’s saying nothing definitive given that, as you’re a long time retired. But in the meantime, au revoir to a one of a kind. It’s a privilege to be living in his time.
Righto, that’s us done for the day, so to update: Pliskova leads Svitolina 6-3 1-3; Kalinskaya leads Burel 7-6 4-5; Collins beats Dolehide 6-3 6-4; Bellucci leads Tiafoe 3-2 with a break; Cerundolo leads Hanfmann 6-3 1-0; Tomova beats Alexandrova 6-3 7-6; Pavlyuchenkova beats Udwardy 6-3 6-4; and Norrie leads Kotov 6-4 3-6 6-3 1-2.
Nadal says it’s difficult for him to talk as he doesn’t know if this is going to be the last time he plays in front of this incredible crowd – he’s not 100% sure but if this is the last time he’s enjoyed it. The crowd have been amazing throughout the week of preparation and feelings he has today are hard to describe but it’s so special to feel the love of the people in the place he loves most.
Otherwise, he congratulates Zverev for a great match and winning in Rome last week, wishing him the best for the tournament; he knows 2022 was super-tough. He’s had a tough time with injuries recently, going through the processes to get back to Roland-Garros and he was competitive but didn’t take his chances so lost to a great player. He thinks there’s a “big percentage” chance he doesn’t come back, but he’s travelling with the family and having fun; maybe in two months he says it’s enough, but he doesn’t feel that yet, hopes to back on Chatrier for the Olympics, which motivates him, and he hopes to be well prepared. The feelings he’s had on this court, he could never imagine he’d still be here at 28 – he corrects to 38 but wishes he was right first time – and it’s been a “beautiful process”.
He thanks all the people who’ve helped behind the scenes, his team and who work at Roland-Garros, and the crowd: “The feelings you make me feel here are just unforgettable,” he says, choking up. “Thank you so much from the bottom of my heart; I hope to see you again but i don’t know.”
What a player and what a mensch; I fear my eyeballs may be sweating.
Zverev doesn’t know what to say, thanking Nadal on behalf of the tennis world. It’s such a great honour having watched him play all his childhood, was lucky enough to play him when he turned pro and has played him twice on Chatrier. This isn’t his day, it’s Rafa’s moment, so he won’t say much, stepping aside to allow the King to address his court.
Alexander Zverev (4) beats Rafael Nadal 6-3 7-6(5) 6-3
Zverev moves on to meet Goffin or Mpetshi Perricard and played well today – he looks a contender. But this is all about Rafael Nadal, the greatest clay-courter tennis has ever seen, perhaps the greatest competitor sport has ever seen, and he looks choked; I’m not surprised, I do too because how not to?
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Forehand winner cross-court – as Norrie breaks to go 2-1 up on Kotov – and Nadal is down two match point. The crowd go wild for him but there’s no level of appreciation that can possibly match the work he’s done over the last 19 years.
Ach, hold yourselves mates: Zverev punishes a backhand winner, then Nadal, forced to go for lines, hits long and he’s two points away from defeat, maybe two points away form the end of the greatest career at any one major we’ve ever seen. What a ride it’s been, the skill-level matched only by the physical and mental sacrifices; we’ll never see anything like again, but goodness me, we’ve seen him, and how lucky we are for that.
An overhead, under which he’s to wait for several decades, is spanked down, and Nadal has 15-30, then a double follows! Nadal just won’t go away, but then he overhits a backhand when in control of the rally and he just can’t quite string together enough consecutive good points or games to make this close. And from deuce, Zverev very quickly seals his consolidation, sweeping another – yet another – nails backhand cross to take him a game away at 2-0 5-3.
Ah, but Pliskova has since broken Svito afresh, so is now serving for the set at 5-3 while, on 13, Norrie leads Kotov 4-3 in the third, on serve.
Svitolina has broken Pliskova back, but back to our main match, down 0-30, Nadal tries another drop – he must be flagging, which makes sense – Zverev duly assumes control of the rally, except after an overhead, he watches as a murderous forehand hisses by him! For all the difference it makes: we wind up at 30-40, Nadal finds another decent delivery … and from waaaay out wide, a majestic backhand down the line secures the break! At 6-3 7-6 4-3, Zverev is two games away!
On Lenglen, Svitolina leads Pliskova 4-2; Norrie and Kotov are 1-1 3-3; Kalinskaya leads Burel 7-6 2-0; and Khachanov is serving for the match up 6-2 6-0 5-4 on Nagal.
Huge hitting from Zverev hauls Nadal to deuce from 40-30 then, down break-point, Nadal glances a lovely backhand volley across the face of the net to save himself. Not for long though, another break point inciting our favourite: the ace down the T. Two in the match, both times with when it was needed most, and when Zverev earns another opportunity, a serve out wide facilitates the backhand-glance putaway; four saved. And from there, another nasty rally ends with Nadal the man still standing; even if he loses, this is yet nother monumental error from the 14-time champ. He trails 3-6 6-7 3-2.
Zverev secures his hold for 2-0 2-2, Norrie breaks back to love immediately for 1-1 1-1, and Svitolina and Pliskova begin their match by exchanging breaks.
Nadal raises another break point, likewise Kotov; Zverev saves his with big serve and forehand combo which takes us to deuce but Norrie cannot and now trails 6-4 3-6 0-1.
Kotov does indeed serve out, tying his match with Norrie at 4-6 6-3. He was put under a lot of pressure earlier in that set, but he kept holding then found the break he needed.
Nadal just can’t quite find enough, finding himself down 30-40 before hoisting a lob at the end of a sapping rally; Zverev leaps and frames down a winner to break back for 2-0 1-2.
Elsewhere, Khachanov leads Nagal 6-2 6-0 2-1, Fernandez beat Ponchet 6-2 3-0, Collins leads Dolehide 6-3 3-2, Pavlyuchenkova leads Udvardy 6-3 3-1 and Tomova leads Alexandrove 6-3 6-6. Oh and Kotov is serving for the second set against Norrie at 4-6 5-3.
Now then. Nadal makes 0-30, then a ninja forehand sets up a backhand winner and really, who knows? Two weapons-grade first serves extinguish the first two breaking opportunities, but with the next point as good as won, Zverev picks the forehand corner, so does Nadal, and he crunches a winner into the empty court! He trails 3-6 6-7 2-0 and might that be a turning point? Either way, though, what a privilege to be breathing air at the same time as this nutter.
Next on Lenglen: Elina Svitolina (15) v Karolina Pliskova.
As soon as set three starts, Nadal finds himself down 15-40, but he stays in a long rally then sends a backhand followed by a forehand to the corner to save one break point, the second erased when Zverev nets. And from there, the freak of nature serves out, closing the game with another definitive volley; he trails 3-6 6-7 1-0.
Gauff is happy with how she played and enjoyed it with the roof closed; the echo made it sound like the ball was travelling faster than it is. She also heard that it was modelled on Suzanne Lenglen’s skirt, which she thinks is a great detail, then discusses practising her drop-shots with Brad Gilbert and Jeremy Chardy. Paris is her favourite city and the first place to which she travelled as a kid, so she enjoys people watching and reading – she’s a huge reader and rhe weather is nice to just sit and do that.
Coco Gauff (3) beats Julia Avdeeva 6-1 6-1
Avdeeva is only 21 and looks a decent prospect, but Gauff knew way too much for her and meets Zidansek next; that should be a much tougher and funner match.
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Nadal being Nadal, he saves the first set point with a drop, but a netted return and Zverev, who played a great game when his opponent served for 1-1 and has played an equally excellent breaker, leads by two sets to love, 6-3 7-6(5).
A deft forehand volley at the net gives Zverev – no that is not a misprint – 4-3, and an ill-advised drop allows the putaway for 5-3. I guess he was trying to shorten the rally, which he did, but not in the way he planned, but what a forehand he finds, whipped cross as Zverev comes in, just as the breaker looks to have slipped away. But oh Rafa, again he tries a drop when he shouldn’t, again the German runs in to deal, and that rtaises two points for a two-set lead at 6-3 6-6 (6-4).
Zverev quickly returns it and then, at 3-2, we see Carlos Alcaraz and Iga Swiatek are also in the house and rightly so; what better can they or anyone else have to do than watch this? Exactly. It’s 3-3 while, on Lenglen, Gauff leads Avdeeva 6-1 4-1 with a double break and on 13 norrie leads Kotov 6-4 1-2.
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Massive point to start, Zverev taking it on serve after a Nadal slice across the face of the net drops wide. And then, after more good net-play from Nadal, a forehand goes long to cede the mini-break at 1-2.
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Broken to love in his last service game, this time Nadal holds to love, and we’ve got ourselves a breaker that might define this match: Zverev wins it’s a long way back, Nadal wins who knows?
There’s something comforting about sportsfolk loving sport, so it’s nice to see Djokovic wanting to check this match – and, I imagine, be there if this is the end of Rafa (while displaying his epochal magnanimity for the world to love). Back on court, though, Nadal burns two break points … but then a lovely backhand slice is too good, bringing us back to deuce. Not for long: Zverev closes out, and Nadal must now hold for a second-set breaker.
Djokovic is watching too 👀#rolandgarros pic.twitter.com/vcJAaWQIf9
— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) May 27, 2024
Goodness me, I’ve been watching tennis for more than 40 years and I’ve never seen an umpire bang heads with a player. But that’s what’s gone down on Lenglen, Avedeeva needing a moment to recover, down 6-1 1-0 with a break. And on 13, Norrie serves out to lead Kotov 6-4.
Big forehands from Zverev to make 0-15, then a barrage of backhands and it’s 0-30; this could be the match right here, Nadal in need of another energising ace. And have a look! Another tremendous point from the younger man, carving a forehand down the line to raise three break-back points … and he only needs one, again hammering with the forehand, and that’s an incredible game to save the second set.
Gauff takes the first set off Avdeeva 6-1, as Zverev holds to force Nadal to serve for one set apiece. And out on Court 13, Nozza has taken over, serving for the first set against Kotov at 5-4 having trailed 3-0.
Nadal is directing Zverev around the court now, dominating when he comes in – he’s 9-0 in net points now – and secures another hold for 3-6 5-3. We wondered if this was going to be a match but we didn’t really, because when has one featuring this freak of nature been anything but? I am in awe of his love and devotion.
Zverev holds to up the pressure on Nadal’s next service-game while Norrie breaks Kotov back to trail 3-4 and Gauff nails Avdeeva a second time, now 4-0 in front. These two experience temperatures in different ways.
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Nadal dances along the baseline as he consolidates to 15 – he can feel it building now, and it all started with that ace at break-point down; his competitive spirit is absolutely mind-boggling, just as much as his skill and Zverev, now in fear of a match he’s dominated going all square, looks a little forlorn at 6-3 2-4.
Over the last year or so, Coco Gauff has morphed from player into killer, and she lays down the smack immediately, breaking Avdeeva for 2-0
Kotov breaks Norrie then consolidates for 4-1 – this match might go long, I reckon – and Nadal gets 30-all on the Zverev serve then sees a forehand go into the bottom of the net. He looks to be buzzing off what was a great hold in the last game, and when a ball drops in half-court, he clobbers a forehand but it’s not a winner; no matter. Zverev does similarly, this time he conjures a drop, and Nadal has broken for 3-6 3-2! What a totally absurd human being he truly is.
Ben Shelton (15) beats Huge Gaston 3-6 6-3 6-4 6-4
That’s a great win for one of the heroes of the last 12 months – he made the last four in New York and the last eight in Melbourne – and next for him it’s Kei Nishikori.
Can Nadal find a way of breaking Zverev? Well he needs to hold his own serve first and Zverev is giving nowt for a burton – it’s constant pressure, the ace down the T at 30-40 exactly what was required. Another big serve follows, and then one out wide to facilitate the clean-up forehand to the opposite corner. Much better from Nadal, who now trails 6-3 2-2.
Zverev makes it 18 from 19 points on serve in going up 30-0, and though Nadal closes, an ace down the T followed by a thunderous forehand down the line from wide gives him a 6-3 2-1 lead. Back on Court 14 – we’ve been there a fair bit – Ben Shelton has match point at 3-6 6-3 6-4 5-4 15-40 against Hugo Gaston … and, to the joy of the home crowd, Gaston saves both.
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Felix Auger-Aliassime (21) beats Yoshihito Nishioka 6-2 6-4 6-4
He meets Purcell or Squire next.
Karen Khachanov, the 18 seed, is under way against Samit Nagal, leading 3-1.
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Kotov takes the first game off Norrie and Zverev again holds to lead Nadal 6-3 1-0.
Court 13 will soon be watching Cam Norrie, who meets Pavel Kotov.
Nadal nets a forehand and at the end of the longest game of the match, Zverev takes a 50-minute first set 6-3.
Next on Lenglen: Coco Gauff (3) v Julia Avdeeva (Q).
Great news: we’re back away on the outside courts…
Tistsipas says he was a bit lucky to take the first set but after that he played a lot better, hitting it harder and deeper, and by the end he was playing great. The roof, he explains, makes the court faster with more bounce, and though he was sitting further back on return, he was trying to send back fast, low balls to get himself into and open up the court. Finally, he shares how much everyone in Paris loves him and how good that makes him feel, inspiring him to play great tennis for the people in the city of love.
Nadal, meanwhile, is struggling to hold and finds himself down advantage and set point; he tackles it by hitting flatter and harder, a booming backhand to the corner directed into the net by Zverev. So we go from deuce to advantage and back again…
Stefanos Tsitsipas (9) beats Márton Fucsovics 7-6(7) 6-4 6-1
That’s a really good win and performance from Tsitsipas – next up it’s Daniel Altmaier, who binned Jannik Sinner here last term.
Serving to stay in the set, Nadal nets a forehand at 15-all, but a terrific point, dictated by two gibongous forehands, allows him to pat away a volley at the net. Meantime, on Lenglen, another match point for Tsitsipas…
And he’s serving well, holding for 5-3 while Tsitsipas leads Fucsovics 7-6 6-4 5-1 … raising match point with a skid to the net and flick over the tape.
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Nadal is moving Zverev about now and you can tell he’s feeling better by how intensely he celebrates the game-point that closes the first-set gap to 3-4. The difference between the two is the first-game break, and things have changed a bit since then – though however you slice it, the world number four still leads.
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Tsitsipas wants this over and done with now, hitting first serves as he races to 3-1 in the third, and at 30-40, he’s a point for a double break … which is all he needs, hitting hard from the back until Fucsovics strays. This is all but over, and it’s been a good workout for the 2021 runner-up.
Around the grounds, the covers are coming off, and we’re not far off more tennis – lots of it. I’m not sure how we’re going to cover it all, but I’m looking forward to finding out.
We should be ready, of course, to allow ourselves a major emotional dump if Nadal loses here; this could well be his last appearance at Roland-Garros which means the end of an era, which means time to ponder what we’ve been up to since he won for the first time and on debut, in 2005. It’ll be a feeling.
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Consecutive errors from Zverev and Nadal has two break-back points; he’s settling, but a forehand that goes wide cedes one opportunity, then a tame effort sits one up and Zverev has all the time he needs to punish an inside-out forehand winner for deuce. Then, from there, he closes out in deeply competent, confident fashion, coming to the net to seal the game for 3-1. Meantime, Tistsipas breaks Fucsovics to lead 1-0 in the third, and hard though the Hungarian has tried, he’s not long for this competition.
A big serve down the T, a clean-up forehand to the backhand corner, and Tsitsipas leads 7-6 6-4; long way back for Fucsovics from here, but on Chatrier, Nadal is on the board, holding to 30 for 1-2.
Zverev’s record against Nadal isn’t great, but Nadal’s best shot, the hooked, high-kicking forehand, is not unhandy for his, the backhand down the line. So far, though, Nadal looks as off it as he might; the question is whether he can find a level before he’s too far behind.
Back on Chatrier, Nadal is beginning to settle, but Zverev still consolidates to 30 for 2-0.
My sense is that Tsitspas will play as well as he needs to win this, so just a bit better than Fucsovics, and he breaks for 7-6 5-4; after a little sit-down, he’ll serve for another highly competitive set.
Straight away Zverev gets 0-40, Nadal nets and there’s the break; on Lenglen, Fucsovics saves break point at 6-7 4-4 with a winner from the back.
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Back on Lenglen, Tsitsipas leads Fucsovics 7-6 4-4, and you sense that the breaker we look destined for in set two will be crucial: should it eventuate and should Tsitsipas win it, we’ll ne nearly done; should Fucsovics level the match, we could be here a while.
It’s still hard to believe that this is a round one match. If Nadal is at it, Zverev will a problem, and I’d expect the former’s forehand to target the latter’s with no mercy.
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What a welcome Chatrier gave Nadal, by the way, and he and Zverev are almost ready.
It’s not great for the umpires either, left languishing in maroon knitted cardigans; serves them right I guess.
Talking of Tsitsipas, what on earth is this? The running down the shorts effect is a strange look if ever there was one.
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Now then! Tsitsipas hands back his break with a double and Fucsovics, who’s playing well now trails 7-6 3-3.
What a match this is to have in round one! I doubt Zverev was chuffed about it and like the rest of us, he’ll have no clue how Nadal will pull up. I guess, in that sense, it’s better for the number four seed to meet him now, rather than when he’s settled after a couple of rounds, but Zverev will fancy himself to win this and an ageing goat rolling back the years one last time, in front of an adoring crowd, is the last thing he needs.
Thanks Dave and hi again. Next on Chatrier: Alexander Zverev (4) v Rafael Nadal (unseeded, but 14)
And with that frustrating weather update and scenes of spectators looking miserable under umbrellas near the top of the roof which is about as rain-proof as Old Trafford, I’ll hand you back to Daniel Harris.
Forget any play on the outside courts for a while. It’s absolutely raining chats and chiens. You can hear it hammering down on the roof which thankfully allows Tsitsipas v Fucsovics to continue. The Greek leads 2-1 in the second set.
Iga Swiatek (1) beats Leolia Jeanjean 6-1 6-2
It’s all too easy for Swiatek as she sees off Jeanjean for the loss of just three games. She was out on court for just a minute over the hour mark. A quick look at the stats shows Swiatek leading the ‘winners’ count 26-2. Impressive from the defending champion.
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A quick reminder of Tsitsipas’s record in the French Open. He made the semis in 2020, reached the final in 2021 – losing to Novak Djokovic after winning the first two sets – and exited in the quarters last year. He’s also a finalist and three-time semi-finalist in the Australian Open although hasn’t gone beyond round four at Wimbledon or round three at the US Open.
Back to the here and now and he wins a lengthy opening game of the second set, significant as it came on the Fucsovics serve. Tsitsipas now one set and 1-0 up.
Back to Chatrier and Jeanjean is making a better fist of this second set. She trails Swiatek 3-2 and, with serve, has won the opening point of the sixth.
Elsewhere, Matteo Arnaldi is serving for the first set (5-3 up) against French 29th seed Arthur Fils. And on Court 14, American Ben Shelton (15) is two sets to one ahead against another Frenchman, Hugo Gaston. It’s 2-2 in the fourth.
Tsitsipas, much to his relief, wins the opening set 9-7 on the tie-break. At 7-7, Fucsovic’s forehand is fractions wide and he can only return Tsitsipas’s heavy serve beyond the baseline. A fascinating opening set and one that Fucsovic may end up kicking himself for not winning.
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Tsitsipas whips a looping forehand just wide and now Fucsovics has a break point at 7-6. A cry of “merci” from the umpire quietens the crowd before Fucsovics finds the net! 7-7.
Tsitsipas suddenly springs to life and wins four points on the bounce, surging from a precarious 2-4 deficit to lead 6-4. Two set points. His first comes on the Fucsovics serve but the Hungarian saves it before Tsitsipas, on his own, fluffs another backhand down the line and we’re all square at 6-6!
Swiatek is back in the groove against Jeanjean, winning back-to-back games to nudge 2-1 ahead in the second. She won the first 6-1.
Tsitsipas wins both his next two service points – he had to really – to cut the gap to 3-2. But he looks rather out of whack here, mistiming another return attempt as they swap ends at 4-2 Fucsovics.
And a tie-break it is, Tsitsipas serving first. The Greek is 7-3 in tie-breaks this year, with Fucsovics 3-3. The opening point is replayed after a debate before Tsitsipas puts a straightforward volley long. A rasping forehand winner from Fucsovics and it’s 2-0 before yet another poor groundstroke from Tsitsipas extends that to 3-0. The ninth seed is in trouble here.
And it continues to go with serve on Lenglen as Tsitsipas nudges ahead once more at 6-5. Fucsovics’ impressive first-serve percentage and Tsitsipas’s iffy returning suggest a tie-break is by far the most likely outcome here. Cheers on Chatrier as Jeanjean breaks Swiatek in the opening game of the second set.
Average, let’s say poor, returning from Tsitsipas gifts Fucsovics a 40-0 lead. A ludicrously wide double fault cuts that to 40-30 but another misfire from Tsitsipas means we’re at 5-5. On Chatrier, Swiatek has swept through the opening set against Jeanjean in 29 minutes, dropping just one game.
A break point for Fucsovics in game nine as Tsitsipas goes wide with a forehand. But two big first serves under pressure swing momentum back to Tsitsipas and he clubs a trio of forehands to force the error, hold and go 5-4 ahead. Just across the way, Swiatek is 5-1 up with Jeanjean serving.
Tsitsipas isn’t making much headway on the Fucsovics serve and the stats show why. The Hungarian has nailed 20 of 24 first serves, winning 80% of those points as a result. It’s 4-4 and this opening set remains in the balance. Over on Chatrier, Swiatek has eased to a 4-1 first-set lead against French qualifier Jeanjean. Games are now resuming or starting on the outside courts.
After levelling at 3-3, Fucsovics goes 15-0 love on the Tsitsipas serve to hint at a break. But the Greek ninth seed mixes finesse and power to reel off the next four points, reaching 40-15 with a drop shot and sealing a 4-3 lead courtesy of a drilled backhand winner down the line.
Plenty of yellow on show on the two main courts today. Tsitsipas has a sort of Belgian-esque yellow and black outfit going on and gives it a brush as he sits down after moving back ahead 3-2 against Fucsovics. On Chatrier, Jeanjean (or should it be jaunejaune) is all in yellow. She’s won her first game and trails top seed Swiatek 2-1 in the opener.
Thanks Daniel. The covers are coming off although they’ve decided to keep the roof closed on Lenglet. Fucsovics belies his reputation as not great at the net with a superb drop volley to hold to love and level at 2-2 against Tsitsipas.
Righto, I’m off for a little break; here’s Dave Tindall to chill with you through the next hour.
Tsitsipas starts well, holding then arranging a break point with a punishing forehand down the line; what a shot that is, and in comms, they wonder if, on clay, it’s the best shot in the men’s game. Its a shame about thew backhand really – in one of the Eurosport inserts, he was asked about how it’d be if it wasn’t a one-hander, and he replied he’s not be Stefanos Tsitspias … while, in the meantime, it costs him matches and titles. Anyroad, Fucsovics fights back to hold for 1-1, while Swiatek breaks Jeanjean at the first time of asking for 1-0.
Cheering on Court 14 as the covers come off; the clay is raked and we should be good to go again shortly while, on Chatrier, Swiatek and Jeanjean are hitting.
Righto, Fucsovics and and Tsitsipas are away…
Fucsovics and Tsitsipas are knocking up on Lenglen.
Next on Chatrier: Iga Swiatek (1) v Leolia Jeanjean (Q).
Jabeur notes that conditions were slow but she’s taking it match by match and hopes that the people will be with her until the final. Otherwise, a question from Amelie Mauresmo, the tournament organiser: how does she get the crowd to love her? She’s always thinking about smiling, she says, trying to bring joy on and off the court, and she hopes her good relationship with the public continues.
Ons Jabeur (8) beats Sachia Vickery 6-3 6-2
That wasn’t straightforward but Jabeur, who’s been in miserable form, will be much happier for it and meets Kalinina or Osorio next.
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Jabeur nails Vickery with yet another drop from and at 6-2 5-2 0-15, she has match point.
Back on Chatrier, Vickery has forced Jabeur to serve for the match at 6-3 5-2.
Next on Lenglen: Márton Fucsovics v Stefanos Tsitsipas (9).
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Sinner is just happy to be back playing and his hip is good now. He and his team have worked really hard and though he’s not yet at 100%, they try to get better every day and he’s very happy to have the roof closed for the first time. Otherwise, he’s happy with what he’s achieved in the last few months but his goal is to improve every day, he knows he has things to improve, and his team push him to improve every day.
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Jannik Sinner (3) beats Christopher Eubanks 6-3 6-3 6-4
That’s a great win for the Aussie Open champ, who’ll be fitter and feel fitter for that first match back after injury. His ability to find big first serves when he most needs them and play the big points really well evidences a young man at one with himself and his game;
bonne chance Richard Gasquet, who has to play him next.
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An overhead gives Sinner 15-0 but Eubanks then hooks a superb forehand winner cross-court and makes 15-30 immediately afterwards … then a double follows! Whoever you are, finishing off a match is a nervy, but again, Sinner’s first serve gets him out of trouble and this is something that distinguishes the best from the excellent: timing. And, shonuff, the Italian relaxes into the next point, whamming forehands to make deuce; I’m certain he’ll finish it from here.
Rain latest: no play before 1pm BST. But it is much brighter now.
It’s a bit brighter now, and I think the rain might’ve stopped … but not in Sachia Vickery’s heart. She’s been broken a second time in set two and, though she’s given Jabeur plenty, resounding defeat looks to be in her immediate future … and, as I type, she’s nailed with an expert’s drop which sticks in the clay and dies. And, though she makes her opponent fight through deuce, she eventually holds for 6-3 4-0 while, on Lenglen, Eubank is match-point down … but punishes a colossal forehand winner to make deuce before closing out. He’s made Sinner serve for it.
Eubanks is running out of road here, able to make an impression on the Sinner serve without actually taking it. Down 3-6 3-6 3-4, he gets to 30-all, then a pair of overheads, followed by a big serve and a further overhead, mean the number three seed is just a game away from round two
It’s pretty grim in Paris today and we’ve just received word that play won’t resume on uncovered courts before 12.30 BST, problem being it’s still raining à ce moment.
Jabeur is playing nicely now, breaking the game Vickery for 6-3 1-0 and consolidating in short order. She’s nearly in round two and, given how ropey her form has been lately, will be feeling pretty decent.
Sinner has that champion’s aura now, able to quickly disappear matches without over-extending, and he breaks early in set three to lead 6-3 6-3 3-1. If his hip is in nick, he’s a serious threat to win here.
On Chatrier, Jabeur is serving for the set at 5-3, and when she sends Vickery wide, the cross-court response drops beyond the sideline. So that’s the first set, and Ons will be better for what turned out to be a stiffer test than we might’ve anticipated.
Sinner has played the big points really well and that’s the confidence – and relaxation – you get from winning your first major. I’m sure he’s plans for many more, but he has one and no one can ever take that away from him; no one can ever bother him for not having managed it.
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We’re down to two matches now, Jabeur 5-2 Vickery and Eubanks 3-6 3-6 1-1 Sinner; the opanisers must be delighted they stuck a roof on Lenglen for the Olympics.
At 6-3 6-3 0-1, Sinner finds himself with two more break points to save, the first confiscated via serve and the second thanks to a deft drop. Again, though, Eubanks earns another, he gets right into the point thanks to a nails backhand … then nets. He’s playing better now, he just needs to hit more consistently, but in the meantime Sinner closes out to lead 2-0 1-1.
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Ah well; that’s the last we’ll see of this match for a while – it’s starting to rain so play has been suspended.
Jabeur breaks Vickery for 4-2 and Shelton breaks Gaston back for 3-6 6-3 3-3; a total showman, he’s absolutely loving taking on a local favourite, and I’d not be surprised if this match goes long.
Liudmila Samsonova (17) beats Magda Linette 6-1 6-1
She meets Anisimova next.
We’ve a match brewing on Court 14 where Shelton has levelled his match with Gaston at one apiece, but Gaston has broken for 3-2 in set three.
They’re closing the roof on Lenglen, so rain must be on the agenda.
Down 3-6 3-5, Eubanks makes 15-30 as Sinner serves for the set, and a netted forehand raises two break-back points. If he’s to make a match of this, you feel one of them, as Wayne Mar-Dell likes to say, has to go … and of course two aces make that impossible. No matter, Eubanks earns another … and again, it vanishes when a murderous serve is too good. From there, Sinner closes out to lead 6-3 6-3 while, on Chatrier, Vickery is starting to enjoy herself, breaking Jabeur back to trail 2-3.
This is just so zany.
Some familiar faces have arrived to watch @janniksin 🥕#RolandGarros @CarotaBoys pic.twitter.com/wTDLyD8rIr
— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) May 27, 2024
Marketa Vondrousova (5) beats Rebeka Masarova 6-1 6-3
Extremely impressive from the Wimbledon champ on her favourite surface, and she meets the aptly-named American, Volynets, next.
Nishioka is giving Auger-Aliassime a bit more second set – they’re now at 6-2 3-3 – Jabeur has broken Vickery and now leads 3-0; Sinner is up on Euanks 6-3 5-2; and Vondrousova will shurely shoon finish off Masharova, in front by 6-1 5-3.
On Chatrier, Jabeur v Vickery is away, and you fear for oor Ons. Not today, but she might just’ve missed her chance at snaffling that elusive major, successive Wimbledon final defeats hitting her hard – while various younger players got better. Women’s tennis being women’s tennis, you can never be sure, but I’m not sure she’s as good now as she was then, and for her to get back to that level, at 29, is a lot to ask.
Sinner, up 6-3 3-1, looks up at his box and, having missed a few forehands, in comms they speculate that maybe his hip’s playing up. Back on court, though, it’s as if he heard, a sensational forehand winner, hit cross on the run, suggesting to the contrary. He holds for 4-1.
Potapova is nearly into round two, 6-4 4-1 up on Rakhimova, Samsonova leads Linette 6-1 2-1 and Paolini leads Saville 6-3 2-1.
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Mea time, Sinner plays a wondrous forehand to secure a break and a 6-3 2-0 lead – this looks like a quick morning’s work – and Vondrousova does indeed serve out for 6-1 3-1. What we’re seeing with her, I think, is a player now totally comfortable with and confident in her game, the pressure of having to win a biggun now removed forever; compare that with how Ons Jabeur, whom she beat in the final, will be feeling – on which point, she’ll be in Chatrier any second.
I hoped Masarova would give Vondrousova more to think about second set, but thus far, no so: the Wimbledon champ leads 6-1 2-1 with a break … but trails 0-30. If she fights back to take the game, the match will surely soon follow.
I’m not sure if this is deliberate, but Sinner’s hair is the same colour as Sinner’s t-shirt, is the same colour as the clay, If he could just do likewise with his shorts, hat, sweatbands and footwear, he’d be almost unreadable because he’d be almost invisible. But does he even need it though? At deuce, he flicks a ludicrous forehand winner cross-court that breaks the sideline – what an angle! – which takes him to set point, a Eubanks double follows, and the Aussie Open champ leads 6-3.
Elsewhere, Auger-Aliassime leads Nishioka 6-2, Gaston leads Shelton 6-3, Samsonova leads Linette 5-1 and Potapova leads Rakhimova 6-2 0-1.
Eubanks is getting comfier, a booming return on to the tootsies earning him 40-30; a big second serve down the T and it’s for nothing, Sinner leading 5-3.
She has to save break point to do it, but Vondrousova eventually holds for a 6-1 set. The second might be tighter, though, because Masarova looks to have settled now.
A double from Sinner hands back a break at 2-4, but a backhand winner down the line gives him 15-30 and we wind up at deuce, Eubanks thrashing a forehand wide when up advantage. Then, at the net, Sinner dumps a putaway, and at 3-4 this set has suddenly got closer.
Elsewhere, Gaston leads Shelton 4-2; Auger-Aliassime leads Nishioka 3-1; Samsonova leads Linette 3-0; and Paolini leads Saville 3-2.
Vondrousova is in terrific shape, 4-0 up now, and looking at the bracket, her run to the last eight is extremely reasonable … whereupon she’s seeded to meet Swiatek. I doubt she’ll mind – whoever wins here will probably have to go through the defending champ and what difference when? – with Gauff seeded to reach the semi from the top half and Sabalenka the likeliest to emerge from the top. And in the time it takes me type that, the Wimbledon champ consolidates again for 5-0, while Sinner breaks Eubanks again for 4-1.
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Talking of last year’s Wimbledon, Chris Eubanks was a hero of the men’s competition, beating Norrie and Tistsipas en route fo a five-set, last-eight defeat to Medvedev. He looked a potential star then, his ability to play exciting tennis matched by the thoughtful and entertaining way in which he talks about the game, but it’s been tough since then – and a first-round match against the most recent major winner is not really what he needed on his least-favourite surface. And he’s been broken already, Sinner 2-1 in front and playing with all the confidence you’d expect.
It’s taken her a while, but at 24, Marketa Vondrousova is now firmly established among the elite of women’s tennis. She made the final at Roland-Garros in 2019, but over the last decade or so, a panoply of others have done similarly; Laylah Fernandez in New York, say, or Eugenie Bouchard at Wimbledon. But by winning in SW19 last term, Vondrousova illustrated an ability to perform on the biggest stage, and her unusual combination of angles and spins makes her a one-off – especially on clay, her favourite surface. She’s a serious threat here, and leads Masarova 2-0.
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I’m also watching Masarova v Vondrousova (5) and Nishioka v Auger-Aliassime (21).
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On Lenglen, Sinner and Ebanks are knocking up, the freshly-minted Aussie Open champ with his hip injury all healed.
Ever lost your front-door key on your morning trundle around the park? Yeah, that
Preamble
Bonjour tout le monde! And welcome to Roland-Garros 2024 – day two!
Et zut alors, quelle journée c’est! De tout façon that’s about as much Tricolore as I’ve got left these days, so let’s segue into English to ponder what is an absolutely ridiculous menu of French Open TennisTM.
The most obvious highlight of our day is Alexander Zverev’s match with Rafael Nadal, potentially the 14-time champ’s last in Paris, but as well as that we’ve got ... deep breath ...: Ons Jabeur, Iga Swiatek, Chris Eubanks v Jannik Sinner, Marton Fucsovics v Stefanos Tsitsipas, Elina Svitolina v Karolina Pliskova, Coco Gauff, Daniil Medvedev, Cameron Norrie, Marketa Vondrousova, Maria Sakkari, Ben Shelton, Karen Khachanov – and so much more.
Chauette et on y va!
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