Reigning champion Novak Djokovic won in straight sets on his return to Grand Slam action at the French Open on Monday and 13-time Roland Garros winner Rafael Nadal advanced to victory, but Naomi Osaka crashed out on the first round. Djokovic defeated Japanese Yoshihito Nishioka 6-3, 6-1, 6-0 in the first night session at full capacity in Paris in his first game at a major since losing last year’s US Open final. His attempt to defend his Australian Open title in January ended in chaos and controversy when he was deported from Melbourne for refusing to be vaccinated.
“I’m happy to be back. Roland Garros is one of the biggest tournaments in the world and the memories of last year are still fresh in my head,” said Djokovic.
The world number one, who turned 35 on Sunday, converted eight of 18 break points against Nishioka under the roof at Court Philippe Chatrier on a rainy day.
“In general, I have to be satisfied. I always expect the highest of myself, so I can always do better, but it was a very good start to the tournament,” Djokovic added.
Then he meets Federico Coria from Argentina or Alex Molcan from Slovakia, who teams up with Marian Vajda, Djokovic’s former coach.
Nadal, on a quarter-final collision with Djokovic, defeated Australian Jordan Thompson 6-2, 6-2, 6-2 to improve his Roland Garros record to 106 wins and just three losses since his title-winning debut in 2005.
“It’s obviously a good start, straight sets,” said Nadal, placed fifth.
“I played well for a while. Then there are things that I can do better and that I should do better. But it’s a positive start.”
The Spaniard, who downplayed concerns last week over the recurrence of a foot injury that plagued him in Rome, will meet Corentin Moutet in round two after the 2015 French wildcard champion defeated Stan Wawrinka.
Osaka, Krejcikova dumped
Four-time Grand Slam winner Osaka was knocked out 7-5, 6-4 by Amanda Anisimova – the same player who ended the Japanese star’s title defense at the Australian Open this year.
Osaka committed eight double faults and made 29 unforced errors on her return to Roland Garros, having pulled out in 2021 when she refused to meet mandatory media obligations before revealing she was suffering from depression.
“I thought I tried really hard, and I feel like it was a bit of a shame because I couldn’t play as many games leading up to this tournament,” said Osaka, unseeded for the first time since the 2018 Grand Slam. a Grand Slam. Australian Open.
Anisimova, the 27th seed, reached the semifinals in Paris three years ago.
“It’s hard to see Naomi Osaka in the first round, so I knew it wasn’t going to be easy,” said the American.
“I knew I had to play my best tennis and the conditions weren’t easy.”
Women’s defending champion Barbora Krejcikova also crashed, losing 1-6, 6-2, 6-3 to 19-year-old Diane Parry of France in her first game since February after an injury.
The Czech number two in the world had to play on clay this season after he was sidelined due to an elbow problem.
“I just think I just physically collapsed, and I mean it was tough because I didn’t play the games,” Krejcikova said.
Fifth-seeded Anett Kontaveit became the fourth top-10 player to fall before the end of the second day, 7-6 (7/5), 7-5 ahead of Australia’s Ajla Tomljanovic.
Iga Swiatek, the favorite for the women’s title, extended her winning streak to 29 games by sending Ukrainian qualifier Lesia Tsurenko 6-2, 6-0 in 54 minutes.
20-year-old Swiatek, who became the world number one after Ashleigh Barty’s shocking retirement, has won her last five tournaments, bidding for a second French Open in three attempts.
“Today was a pretty good game,” said Swiatek.
She is unbeaten since February and has the longest winning streak on the WTA tour since Serena Williams won 34 games in a row in 2013.
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“I’m pretty sure it can end, but I just want to keep going. I’m sure one day my streak will end.”
Ten games were interrupted by rain and will resume on Tuesday.
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