Monday’s play at Roland-Garros delivered a full slate of results, with major upsets, strong starts from top names, and a lively atmosphere across the Paris clay. The day’s biggest shock came from world No. 148 Nishesh Basavareddy, who beat No. 7 seed Taylor Fritz in a four-set battle on Court Suzanne-Lenglen.
The American wildcard closed out the match 7-6(5), 7-6(5), 6-7(9), 6-1 in what he described simply as: “What a match.” The result stood out as one of the most unexpected of the opening day, while several other contenders moved through to the second round without major trouble.
Basavareddy’s breakthrough headlines the day
Basavareddy’s win carried extra weight because it came against a top-10 opponent in the biggest match of his career so far. He stayed composed in the key moments of the first two sets, recovered after dropping the third set tiebreak, and then pulled away decisively in the fourth.
That result added immediate drama to the tournament and reshaped the opening section of the draw. It also showed how quickly a wildcard can turn a difficult matchup into a career-defining result on a Grand Slam stage.
Strong starts for several seeded players
Alexander Zverev, the men’s No. 2 seed, advanced comfortably in his match against Frenchman Benjamin Bonzi. He will next face Czech player Tomas Machac as he continues his run in Paris.
Marta Kostyuk also produced a notable performance, defeating Oksana Selekhmeteva to stretch her winning streak on clay to 13 matches. The Ukrainian’s form on the surface remained one of the clearest signs of consistency on the day.
Big names survive pressure moments
Novak Djokovic had a tougher evening under the lights on Court Philippe Chatrier, where he was pushed by French server Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard. Djokovic dropped the opening set before finding his rhythm and fighting back to reach the second round in his pursuit of a 25th Grand Slam title.
Hayley Baptiste also earned one of the more impressive victories of the session, knocking out 2021 Roland-Garros champion Barbara Krejcikova. Baptiste saved two match points during the contest, turning a difficult position into a major result.
French crowd, Brazilian energy, and another clean win for Andreeva
The atmosphere at Roland-Garros remained one of the defining features of the day, especially around Joao Fonseca’s match against French qualifier Luka Pavlovic. The crowd was loud and the stands were packed, but the Brazilian teenager still came through in straight sets.
Mirra Andreeva also handled her opening match with control, beating French wildcard Fiona Ferro without the kind of trouble she faced in the previous year. The result allowed her to move on quickly and avoid an early setback on Paris clay.
The first day of RG Live on Monday May 25 produced the kind of mix that defines Grand Slam opening rounds, with major surprises, tight finishes, and established names moving forward while the tournament settled into the clay-court rhythm of Roland-Garros.
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