PARIS, (Reuters) – Claycourt master Rafael Nadal and world number one Novak Djokovic cantered into the second round of the French Open where the shockwaves of Naomi Osaka’s withdrawal were still felt.
Japan’s Osaka left the claycourt Grand Slam on Monday after refusing to attend the mandatory post-match press conferences and revealing she had been suffering from bouts of depression for three years.
While Nadal and Djokovic had no trouble against their respective opponents Alexei Popyrin and Tennys Sandgren, Russian seventh seed Andrey Rublev was knocked out in five sets by unseeded German Jan-Lennard Struff.
Third seed Nadal kicked off his title defence with a comprehensive 6-3 6-2 7-6(3) victory over Australian Popyrin. The Spaniard sent down seven aces, hit 28 winners and made just 23 unforced errors as he claimed his 101st French Open win.
World number one Djokovic barely broke sweat as he eased past American Sandgren 6-2 6-4 6-2 in the first round in the first men’s match to be scheduled in a night session at Roland Garros.
The 18-time Grand Slam champion, who is on a semi-final collision course with 13-time French Open winner Nadal, next faces Pablo Cuevas of Uruguay.
In the women’s draw, former runner-up Venus Williams made another first-round exit while fellow American Sloane Stephens came through in three sets against Spain’s Carla Suarez Navarro.
Suarez Navarro returned to tennis five weeks after announcing she had recovered from cancer. The 32-year-old was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma in September last year.
Williams exited in the first round for the fourth year running after being beaten 6-3 6-1 by Russia’s Ekaterina Alexandrova.
Stephens saved a match point at 5-4 in the second set and beat Carla Suarez Navarro 3-6 7-6(4) 6-4 in 2 hours, 24 minutes. The 28-year-old American will take on Czech ninth seed Karolina Pliskova in the next round.
For the first time since tennis turned professional in 1968, only three French men made it to the second round.
Ninth seed Karolina Pliskova defeated Croatia’s Donna Vekic 7-5 6-4. Coco Gauff, who is seeded 24th this year, also advanced in straight sets, beating Serbia’s Aleksandra Krunic 7-6(11) 6-4 in just over two hours.
France’s Kristina Mladenovic served up a bagel en route to beating Slovakian qualifier Anna Karolina Schmiedlova 6-4 6-0 on Court Simonne Mathieu.
Mladenovic sent down 26 winners, but will have to improve on her 35 unforced errors if she is to equal her previous best result of reaching the quarter-finals of her home Grand Slam four years ago.
Russian seventh seed Andrey Rublev was upset 6-3 7-6(6) 4-6 3-6 6-4 by unseeded German Jan-Lennard Struff in the opening round. Rublev made 47 unforced errors in the 3 hour, 46 minute marathon, while Struff sent down 63 winners, including 25 aces.
Local favourite Gael Monfils came back from a set down to beat Spain’s Albert Ramos Vinolas 1-6 7-6(6) 6-4 6-4. The Frenchman, who is seeded 14th this year, sent down 12 aces and 60 winners, but also made a whopping 75 unforced errors.
World number one Ash Barty was pushed to three sets by unseeded American Bernarda Pera, before prevailing 6-4 3-6 6-2. Pera hit 36 winners, but also made 49 unforced errors.
“I just keep fighting. I tried to stay in the match as long as possible because you never know,” Barty said.
Alex de Minaur, the 21st seed, beat Italy’s Stefano Travaglia 6-2 6-4 7-6(4). The Australian will next take on another Italian in Marco Cecchinato, who beat Japan’s Yasutaka Uchiyama 3-6 6-1 6-2 6-4.
Fifth seed Elina Svitolina found herself trailing 5-2 in the second set but recovered to beat French teenager Oceane Babel 6-2 7-5. Next up for Svitolina is a second round clash with American Ann Li, who trounced Margarita Gasparyan 6-0 6-1.