THE 2026 French Open opened on Monday, May 25, 2026 (PH time), with 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic and second seed Alexander Zverev both advancing in hard-fought matches, while American seventh seed Taylor Fritz suffered a stunning first-round exit.
According to Xinhua, Djokovic, a three-time Roland Garros champion, battled back from a set down to beat French crowd favorite Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, 5-7, 7-5, 6-1, 6-4, extending his streak of first-round victories in Paris to 22 straight years.
The win was Djokovic’s 102nd career victory at the French Open and the 403rd Grand Slam win of his career.
“I played him for the first time and it’s practically impossible to see where he’ll serve,” Djokovic said of Mpetshi Perricard after the match.
Djokovic will next face France’s Valentin Royer in the second round.
Zverev, the 2024 runner-up, cruised past Frenchman Benjamin Bonzi, 6-3, 6-4, 6-2, to arrange a second-round showdown with Czech player Tomas Machac.
“Very good start to the tournament. It’s always good to start with a win in straight sets,” Zverev said.
The tournament’s first major upset came when wildcard American Nishesh Basavareddy stunned Fritz in four sets, 7-6 (5), 7-6 (5), 6-7 (9), 6-1.
Ranked No. 148 in the world, Basavareddy repeatedly troubled Fritz with well-disguised drop shots throughout the match.
“He was hitting insane drop shots, like, off balls that were landing on the baseline. He killed me with that,” Fritz admitted.
In the women’s draw, China’s Wang Xinyu, seeded 32nd, overcame Austrian teenager Lilli Tagger, 6-3, 3-6, 6-4, to advance to the second round.
The victory marked the 20th Grand Slam main-draw win of Wang Xinyu’s career.
Fellow Chinese player Wang Xiyu also advanced after a dominant 6-3, 6-1 victory over Montenegro’s Danka Kovinic.
According to Xinhua, Wang Xiyu wrapped up the match in one hour and 18 minutes, winning 64 total points compared to Kovinic’s 41 in a commanding display.
Eighth-seeded Russian teenager Mirra Andreeva defeated France’s Fiona Ferro, 6-3, 6-3, while Swiss 11th seed Belinda Bencic advanced with a 6-2, 6-3 win over Austria’s Sinja Kraus.
Former champions, however, stumbled early.
2021 French Open winner Barbora Krejcikova bowed out after a 6-7(7), 7-6 (6), 6-2 loss to American Hailey Baptiste, while former US Open champion Emma Raducanu exited following a 6-0, 7-6 (4) defeat to Argentina’s Solana Sierra. / LBG
