TENNIS: Djokovic, Zverev off to winning starts at French Open but Fritz out

PARIS - Novak Djokovic and Alexander Zverev opened their French Open campaigns with comfortable victories on Sunday, while seventh seed Taylor Fritz suffered an early exit as the season’s second Grand Slam began at Roland Garros.

With defending champion Carlos Alcaraz sidelined by a long-term wrist injury, both Djokovic and Zverev are among those looking to capitalize in Paris, where world number one Jannik Sinner enters as the clear favorite.

Djokovic, chasing a record 25th Grand Slam title, started his latest quest with a 5-7 7-5 6-1 6-4 win over big-serving Frenchman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard under the lights.

“I played him for the first time and it’s practically impossible to see where he’ll serve,” Djokovic said after navigating the tricky encounter.

“It’s something I’ve seen one or two times in my career with Reilly Opelka or Ivo Karlovic.

“In a match like that, you have to stay focused and wait for an opportunity. It was a bit difficult but in the end I found my best tennis and best return game at the right moment.”

Second seed Zverev, still searching for a maiden Grand Slam title, handled the heat and pressure with ease, defeating France’s Benjamin Bonzi 6-3 6-4 6-2.

The 2024 runner-up never allowed world number 95 Bonzi to settle on the main showcourt, setting up a second-round meeting with Czech player Tomas Machac.

“Very good start to the tournament, it’s always good to start with a win in straight sets especially against Benjamin who can be a tricky opponent,” Zverev said.

Conditions at Roland Garros were sweltering early in the day, with temperatures rising above 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit) as fans filled the grounds under bright sunshine. Court atmosphere was unusually relaxed for the clay swing, with music echoing through the venue as spectators arrived in large numbers.

Russian Karen Khachanov eased past French qualifier Arthur Gea on Court Suzanne Lenglen, while 11th seed Belinda Bencic of Switzerland advanced with a straight-sets win over Austria’s Sinja Kraus.

In one of the day’s biggest surprises, Fritz fell 7-6(5) 7-6(5) 6-7(9) 6-1 to unheralded American Nishesh Basavareddy, who delivered a composed performance to secure a breakthrough win.

Basavareddy, ranked 148th in the world, said the loud support on Court Suzanne Lenglen caught him off guard.

“That’s something I definitely wasn’t expecting,” he said.

Fritz admitted he was outplayed, particularly by his opponent’s variety.

“I mean ... the drop shots were crazy,” Fritz said.

“When someone is drop-shotting me too much, I tell myself ‘I need to hit the ball deeper’. He was hitting insane drop shots, like, off balls that were landing on the baseline. He killed me with that, and there’s not really much I can do about it.”

Eighth seed Mirra Andreeva produced a dominant baseline display to defeat France’s Fiona Ferro 6-3 6-3 and move into the second round with minimal trouble on Court Philippe Chatrier.

The 19-year-old Russian controlled the match throughout and sealed victory on her first match point when Ferro struck her 24th unforced error.

Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk also advanced with a 6-2 6-3 win over Russian-born Spanish player Oksana Selekhmeteva, in a match overshadowed by events back home after a missile struck near her family residence in Kyiv.

Kostyuk later said she struggled emotionally after receiving images of the damage near her mother and sister’s home.

“I felt sick just for the thought that if it was 100 metres closer, I probably wouldn’t have a mum and a sister today,” she said in her press conference.

Brazil’s Joao Fonseca moved smoothly into the next round with a 7-6(6) 6-4 6-2 win over Luka Pavlovic, while 2021 U.S. Open champion Emma Raducanu exited the tournament after a 6-0 7-6(4) defeat to Solana Sierra. -Reporting by Julien Pretot and Shrivathsa Sridhar in Paris; Editing by Ken Ferris, Andrew Cawthorne and Ed Osmond/Reuters