Djokovic at a canter at Roland Garros
Novak Djokovic launched his quest for a record-breaking 23rd men’s Grand Slam singles title with a no-nonsense 6-3 6-2 7-6 (7-1) first-round victory over debutant Aleksandar Kovacevic in the French Open on Monday.
The twice Roland Garros champion breezed through the first two sets before encountering resistance from the 24-yearold American whose lack of experience then showed in the tiebreak on the world’s biggest clay court.
Djokovic ended the contest with a sizzling service return on his first match point and will face Hungarian journeyman Marton Fucsovics for a place in the third round.
“It’s always a pleasure to come back here, one of the best tournaments in the world,” said Djokovic, who made his Roland Garros debut in 2005. “I’m very motivated to go far here, all the way I hope.”
He did not have an ideal build-up to the Grand Slam, missing the Madrid Masters and being eliminated in the last eight in Rome, but he looked in good form in windy conditions.
On court Suzanne Lenglen, Benoit Paire kept his cool but could not avoid another defeat in the main Tour when he was beaten in five sets by British 14th seed Cameron Norrie. Paire, given a wild card, was up a break in the decider but could not close out the match.
“I’m happy with all the efforts that I’ve been making for some time. So today it was a great match,” said world No 149 Paire, who has not won in the main draw in a top-tier event since August.
Veteran Fabio Fognini of Italy rolled back the years to take down 10th seed Felix AugerAliassime 6-4 6-4 6-3 as the Canadian became the first top10 player in the men's draw to exit the tournament.
The ailing Auger-Aliassime said afterwards he needs to prioritise his health and “get healthy again”. The 22-year-old pulled out of the Lyon quarterfinals last week with a shoulder problem and revealed he had also been unwell during that tournament, with a similar issue hampering his progress in Paris along with a bout of cramp.
Canadian 26th seed Denis Shapovalov overcame American Brandon Nakashima 6-4 7-5 4-6 3-6 6-3 in a rollercoaster match.
In the women’s draw, two former runners-up made an impression.
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova celebrated her return to Roland Garros with a dominant win over Czech Linda Fruhvirtova after fearing for her career a year ago due to a knee problem. The 31-year-old enjoyed her best run at a Grand Slam in the 2021 tournament when she reached the final, and skipped 2022’s edition as well as the second half of the season to nurse an injury.
Sloane Stephens, runner-up at Roland Garros in 2018, dismantled former world No 1 Karolina Pliskova 6-0 6-4. Though everything went smoothly on court for the American, she said racist abuse of players had got worse.
“Yes, it’s obviously been a problem my entire career,” said Stephens. “It has never stopped. If anything, it’s only gotten worse.”
Australian Open quarterfinalist Donna Vekic beat Ukrainian qualifier Daria Yastremska in 6-2 7-5 and 20th seed Madison Keys saw off Estonian Kaia Kanepi in three sets. Lucky loser Elina Avanesyan of Russia, ranked 134th in the world, upset 12th seed Belinda Bencic 6-3 2-6 6-4 to earn her first main draw Grand Slam win and reach the second round.