Paris: Novak Djokovic began his 2025 Roland Garros campaign in trademark fashion on Tuesday, defeating American Mackenzie McDonald 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 in a confident and composed first-round performance on Court Philippe-Chatrier. The victory came just three days after Djokovic captured his 100th tour-level title at the Geneva Open.
Playing his first ATP Head2Head match against McDonald, Djokovic was in full control throughout the one-hour, 58-minute encounter. The windy conditions early in the match added some unpredictability, but the roof was closed midway through the second set due to rain. By then, the Serbian had already seized momentum, having won six of seven games from 2-2 in the opening set.
The win extended Djokovic’s perfect record in Roland Garros first-round matches to 20-0. He has not dropped a set in an opener at the clay-court major since 2010, when he overcame Evgeny Korolev in four sets.
McDonald fought to stay competitive and managed one break of serve to narrow the gap in the second set, but Djokovic immediately broke back and closed it out. The 24-time Grand Slam champion converted five of nine breakpoints, according to ATP Stats, and maintained consistent depth from the baseline to stifle McDonald’s offense.
Meanwhile top British men’s tennis player Cameron Norrie caused a major upset at the French Open on Tuesday, stunning 11th seed Daniil Medvedev in a gruelling five-set battle in the men’s singles first round, while last year’s runner-up Alexander Zverev of Germany too advanced to the next round.
In other first-round action, Australia’s Alex de Minaur, the ninth seed, defeated Laslo Djere of Serbia 6-3, 6-4, 7-6(6) while Alexander Bublik of Kazakhstan defeated James Duckworth of Australia 6-2, 6-4, 6-4.
Norrie, currently No. 81 in the ATP Rankings, dug deep into his energy reserves for a 7-5, 6-3, 4-6, 1-6, 7-5 victory to advance to the second round in Paris for the fifth time. After rallying from a two-sets-to-love deficit, Medvedev then failed to serve out the match at 5-4 in the decider before Norrie crossed the line after three hours, 53 minutes. Norrie will next faces Argentine lucky loser Federico Agustin Gomez, who defeated Aleksandar Kovacevic of the United States, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-1.
Meanwhile Coco Gauff forgot to bring her rackets to the court but reminded her rivals of her French Open title ambitions with a commanding win. Former Roland Garros runner-up Gauff provided early comic relief as the second seed grinned sheepishly and showed her empty bag to her entourage, who scampered to reunite her with her equipment before she thumped Olivia Gadecki 6-2, 6-2. Gauff’s compatriot and former runner-up Sofia Kenin also advanced to the second round after a 6-3, 6-1 win over French number one Varvara Gracheva while Hailey Baptiste beat 2023 semi-finalist Beatriz Haddad Maia 4-6, 6-3, 6-1.
Earlier Paula Badosa announced her return with a thunderous statement at Roland Garros. The 27-year-old Spaniard, seeded 10th but battling injuries and doubt in recent months, staged a thrilling 6-7 (1), 6-1, 6-4 comeback win over Naomi Osaka. Badosa, who had only completed one full match since March, weathered Osaka’s opening-set blitz of 17 winners and four aces to turn the tide with sharp movement, deep returns, and consistency. The third set saw both players stretch each other to the edge, trading breaks before Badosa struck in the seventh game and held firm to close out the match at love. Her 12th main-draw win at the French Open is now her most at any Slam. (IANS)
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