The first round at Roland Garros is complete, and the big upset was the fall of Daniil Medvedev in five sets to qualifier Thiago Seyboth Wild.
With play starting on Sunday in Paris, the round of 128 is spread across three days, and on the opening day, Tstisipas and Rublev were the two most prominent names in action, progressing in tricky four-setters.
On Monday, Djokovic and Alcaraz topped the billing, and each had relatively straightforward victories, with the Spaniard probably the most impressive.
Then on Wednesday, last week’s Rome champion, Daniil Medvedev, fell to Thiago Seyboth Wild in a four-hour match to further open up the bottom half of the draw.
You can see all the results from the first round of the 2023 French Open below.
French Open 2023 Round of 128 Results
Winner
Loser
Scoreline
Carlos Alcaraz (1)
Flavio Cobolli (Q)
6-0 6-2 7-5
Thiago Seyboth Wild (Q)
Daniil Medvedev (2)
7-6(5) 6-7(6) 2-6 6-3 6-4
Novak Djokovic (3)
Aleksandar Kovacevic
6-3 6-2 7-6(1)
Casper Ruud (4)
Elias Ymer (Q)
6-4 6-2 7-6(1)
Stefanos Tsitsipas (5)
Jiri Vesely
7-5 6-3 4-6 7-6(7)
Holger Rune (6)
Christopher Eubanks
6-4 3-6 7-6(2) 6-2
Andrey Rublev (7)
Laslo Djere
6-1 3-6 6-3 6-4
Jannik Sinner (8)
Alexandre Muller
6-1 6-4 6-1
Tayor Fritz (9)
Michael Mmoh
6-2 6-1 6-1
Fabio Fognini
Felix Auger-Aliassime (10)
6-4 6-4 6-3
Karen Khachanov (11)
Constant Lestienne
3-6 1-6 6-2 6-1 6-3
Frances Tiafoe (12)
Filip Krajinovic
6-3 6-4 6-2
Hubert Hurkacz (13)
David Goffin
6-3 5-7 6-4 2-6 6-4
Cameron Norrie (14)
Benoit Paire (WC)
7-5 4-6 3-6 6-1 6-4
Borna Coric (15)
Federico Coria
7-6(3) 6-7(5) 6-3 6-3
Tonny Paul (16)
Dominic Stricker (LL)
6-3 6-2 6-4
Lorenzo Musetti (17)
Mikael Ymer
7-5 6-2 6-4
Alex de Minaur (18)
Ilya Ivashka
6-1 5-7 6-1 6-3
Roberto Bautista Agut (19)
Yibing Wu
7-6(4) 6-1 6-1
Thanasi Kokkinakis (WC)
Daniel Evans (20)
6-4 6-4 6-4
Jiri Lehecka
Jan-Lennard Struff (21)
7-5 1-6 6-3 3-6 6-1
Alexander Zverev (22)
Lloyd Harris
7-6(6) 76(0) 6-1
Francisco Cerundolo (23)
Jaume Munar
6-1 2-6 7-6(5) 6-1
Sebastian Korda (24)
Mackenzie McDonald
6-4 7-5 6-4
Thiago Agustin Tirante (Q)
Botic van de Zandschulp (25)
6-2 4-6 6-3 6-4
Denis Shapovalov (26)
Brandon Nakashima
6-4 7-5 4-6 3-6 6-3
Yoshihito Nishioka (27)
J.J. Wolf
1-6 3-6 6-4 6-3 6-3
Grigor Dimitrov (28)
Timofey Skatov (Q)
6-0 6-3 6-2
Alejandro Davidovich Fokina (29)
Arthur Fils (WC)
6-1 4-6 6-3 6-3
Lorenzo Sonego
Ben Shelton (30
6-4 3-6 6-3 6-3
Andrea Vavassori (Q)
Miomir Kecmanovic (31)
5-7 2-6 7-6(8) 7-6(3) 7-6(9)
Diego Schwartzman
Bernabe Zapata Miralles (32
1-6 6-7(5) 6-2 6-0 6-4
Radu Albot (Q)
Patrick Kypson (WC)
6-3 6-2 4-6 6-1
Daniel Altmaier
Marc-Andrea Huesler
6-3 6-4 6-4
Matteo Arnaldi
Daniel Elahi Galan
2-6 6-3 6-0 6-2
Nuno Borges
John Isner
6-4 5-7 7-6(3) 4-6 7-6(9)
Pedro Cachin
Dominic Thiem
6-3 6-2 6-7(1) 4-6 6-2
Roberto Carballes Baena
Emilio Nava (Q)
7-6(5) 6-3 6-2
Taro Daniel
Christopher O’Connell
6-0 6-2 6-4
Tomas Martin Etcheverry
Jack Draper
6-4 1-0 (RET)
Marton Fucsovics
Hugo Grenier (WC)
6-3 5-7 6-1 6-3
Marcos Giron
Hamad Medjedovic (Q)
6-0 6-2 1-6 6-0
Tallon Griekspoor
Pedro Martinez (Q)
6-4 2-6 0-6 7-5 6-3
Ugo Humbert
Adrian Mannarino
6-3 6-3 6-1
Nicolas Jarry
Hugo Dellien
6-4 6-4 6-2
Aslan Karatsev (Q)
Alexei Popyrin
6-3 6-7(4) 6-1 6-2
Alex Molcan
Hugo Gaston (WC)
6-1 7-6(4) 6-4
Jason Kubler
Facundo Diaz Acosta (LL)
1-6 6-3 6-4 3-6 6-1
Corentin Moutet
Arthur Cazaux (WC)
6-1 6-3 4-6 6-4
Sebastian Ofner (Q)
Maxime Cressy
6-4 7-6(6) 6-2
Genao Alberto Olivieri (Q)
Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard (WC)
7-6(3) 4-6 4-6 7-5 6-1
Guido Pella
Quentin Halys
6-4 6-7(7) 2-6 7-6(4) 7-6(4)
Lucas Pouille (Q)
Jurij Rodionov (LL)
6-2 6-4 6-3
Arthur Rinderknech
Richard Gasquet
6-4 2-6 6-2 7-6(4)
Emil Ruusuvuori
Gregoire Barrere
6-2 6-7(7) 5-7 6-1 6-4
Max Purcell
Jordan Thompson
7-5 1-6 6-4 6-4
Alexander Shevchenko
Oscar Otte
7-5 4-6 6-1 7-6(2)
Luca Van Assche
Marco Cecchinato
6-1 6-1 6-3
Juan Pablo Varillas
Juncheng Shang (Q)
4-6 2-6 6-2 6-3 6-1
Stan Wawrinka
Albert Ramos-Vinolas
7-6(5) 6-4 6-7(2) 1-6 6-4
Giulio Zeppieri (Q)
Alexander Bublik
6-0 4-6 4-6 6-3 7-5
Zhizhen Zhang
Dusan Lajovic
6-1 4-1 (RET)
Yannick Hanfmann (LL)
Thiago Monteiro
6-3 7-5 6-7(6) 6-7(2) 6-4
Seyboth Wild Shocks Medvedev
Thiago Seyboth Wild caused the upset of the round defeating Daniil Medvedev 7-6(5), 6-7(6), 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 after four hours and fifteen minutes.
Seyboth Wild started in fine form, dictating play with his forehand, and he was able to hit through the court in slow conditions, whereas Medvedev struggled to assert himself from the baseline.
In fact, only Seyboth Wild’s errors from 6-4 in the tie second tie break allowed the Russian to make a fist of it. Despite Medvedev gaining a two-set to one lead, the Brazilian was in control from the back of the court as he raised his level towards the end of the match, maintaining his focus despite dropping serve after he’d broken Medvedev in the fifth on two occasions.
Seyboth Wild was around 10/1 pre-match, but he has been back winning of late, and a couple of years ago, he looked to be one to watch after defeating Ruud in the Santiago final. Plus, from what we’ve seen so far, the conditions are super slow; the balls turn into fluff after a couple of games, so it’s hard to see Medvedev enjoying those conditions, and it will continue to favour those who can still hit through the court.
Highlights
Wawrinka Wills Himself Into Round 2
Albert Ramos-Vinolas looked like a tough match for Stan Wawrinka in his first round, but with a two-set lead, and a break to the good in the third, the 2015 champion looked like he was well on the way to dodging a potential banana skin and avoiding back to back first-round losses in Paris.
However, in typical Stan fashion, he got dragged into a five-set encounter, coming through by the skin of his teeth 6-4 in the fifth, and he’ll need to recover physically before taking on Kokkinakis, having spent 4 hours and 35 minutes on court.
I like the way Stan is playing overall, and his level is there, but he has a bad habit of giving guys rhythm and confidence so they can find a way back into the match. This isn’t just a coincidence either, as it’s happened several times this season, and at 38, he needs less draining victories to make deeper runs.
It was probably the toughest one I played against him, that’s for sure. It was a tough battle today. A long one. I had some opportunities in the third set to maybe find a way to finish. I couldn’t. I think he’s always been a tough player to play, especially when he’s in his good rhythm. For me, it was important to stay focused on what I wanted to do. Wawrinka on his 9th straight win over Ramos-Vinolas.
Highlights
Djokovic Makes Solid Start
Djokovic won his first-round match against Aleksandar Kovacevic 6-3, 6-2, 7-6. Though American, Kovacevic’s parents hail from the Balkans, resulting in a warm embrace from Djokovic after their brisque clash.
Djokovic seems physically recovered after his Rome masters exit and gradually ramped up the pace against his opponent, stepping into the baseline and hitting with more risk.
Kovacevic dealt impressively with Djokovic’s groundstrokes, making clean shots with his single-handed backhand – a tough shot to pull off with the kick and spin on clay. Djokovic was overall more dominant in the rallies, winning 82% of points on his first serve.
At 5-4 in the third set, Djokovic failed to serve out the match, with Kovacevic eventually triggering a tiebreak. The American tried to outplay Djokovic from the baseline, but the Serb retreated slightly, giving him time to hit winners into open space.
Highlights
Alcaraz Cruises Past Cobolli
Alcaraz’s performance was a tour de force. A series of unbelievable drop-shots gets, and groundstroke winners helped him blast past Italian Flavio Cobolli 6-0, 6-2, 7-5.
Egged on by a raucous Parisian crowd, Cobolli saved 3 match points at 5-3 and extended the third and last set into a good battle.
Though Alcaraz made a few uncharacteristic unforced errors, his backhand return appears much improved, hitting flat and hard to keep his opponent off-balance.
Highlights
Other Matches of Note
Sinner Sinks Muller: Sinner also had an excellent start to his Roland Garros campaign by defeating Alexandre Muller 6-1, 6-4, 6-1. Sinner almost looked rushed, electing to serve his way to a quick victory with a flat first serve and a high-kicking second serve to dominate from the beginning of the rally. His win on the first serve was an impressive 83% to his opponent’s 51%. The Italian’s arms helped him reach for shots in defensive scenarios and still hit remarkable angles.
Tsitsipas Tops Vesely: Stefanos Tsitsipas defeated Jiri Vesely 7-5, 6-3, 4-6, 7-6. Tsitsipas initially hit Vesely off the court with forehand winners and unstoppable serves. But eager to close the match out in straight sets, the Greek started to overshoot and make unforced errors that landed far beyond the baseline and catapulted Vesely into winning the third set. However, Tsitsipas squeaked through the fourth set tiebreak, winning 9-7 with a daring inside-out forehand winner.
Bad Start for the Brits: Injury-prone Jack Draper retired mid-match against Tomas Etcheverry, 6-4, 1-0. A shoulder injury reduced Draper to serving underarm. Dan Evans also was jettisoned from Roland Garros by big-hitting Thanasi Kokkinakis, with a 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 scoreline.
Khachanov Labours Past Lestienne: Constant Lestienne headed into Paris having retired mid-way through his two previous matches, but he got off to a flyer against Khachanov, deceiving him with variety to establish a two-set lead before more injury woes (calf problems) derailed him and Khachanov was able to take advantage to come through in five sets.
Thiem Can’t Cash In: Dominic Thiem fell at the first hurdle in Paris for the third year in a row, with a five-set defeat to Pedro Cachin. Thiem started poorly, dropping the first two sets, before fighting back level only to fade in the fifth as the Argentine made round two for the second time.
No Joy For Struff: Jan Lennard Struff was the 21st seed after his miracle in Madrid, but he succumbed to Jiri Lehecka in five sets.
Fogini Flogs Felix: More woes for Auger-Aliassime as a shoulder problem could not challenge Fognini, who cruised through.
Round of 64 Matches
Carlos Alcaraz (1) vs Taro Daniel
Matteo Arnaldi vs Denis Shapovalov (26)
Lorenzo Musetti (17) vs Alexander Shevchenko
Lucas Pouille (Q) vs Cameron Norrie (14)
Fabio Fognini vs Jason Kubler
Sebastian Ofner (Q) vs Sebastian Korda (24)
Diego Schwartzman vs Nuno Borges
Roberto Carballes Baena vs Stefanos Tstisipas (5)
Novak Djokovic (1) vs Marton Fucsovics
Luca van Assche vs Alejandro Davidovich Fokina (29)
Roberto Bautista Agut (19) vs Juan Pablo Varillas
Tallon Griekspoor vs Hubert Hurkacz (13)
Karen Khachanov (11) vs Radu Albot (Q)
Stan Wawrinka vs Thanasi Kokkinakis (WC)
Lorenzo Sonego vs Ugo Humbert
Corentin Moutet vs Andrey Rublev (7)
Holger Rune (6) vs
Genaro Alberto Olivieri (Q) vs Andrea Vavassori (Q)
Francisco Cerundolo (23) vs Yannick Hanfmann (LL)
Taylor Fritz (9) vs Arthur Rinderknech
Tommy Paul (16) vs Nicolas Jarry
Marcos Giron vs Jiri Lehecka
Thiago Agustin Tirante (Q) vs Zhizhen Zhang
Giulio Zeppieri (Q) vs Casper Ruud (4)
Jannik Sinner (8) vs Daniel Altmaier
Emil Ruusuvuori vs Grigor Dimitrov (28)
Alexander Zverev (22) vs Alex Molcan
Aslan Karatsev (Q) vs Frances Tiafoe (12)
Borna Coric (15) vs Pedro Cachin
Tomas Martin Etcheverry vs Alex de Minaur (18)
Yoshihito Nishioka (27) vs Max Purcell
Guido Pella vs Thiago Seyboth Wild (Q)
Which match have you enjoyed at Roland Garros so far? Do Djokovic and Alcaraz look in good enough form to win the title? And which upcoming battles are you looking forward to? Leave your comments below.