Order of play: Philippe-Chatrier

New York Times

2 days ago

Catch up on the second day of action at Roland Garros, as the first round continued to play out in Paris Getty Images
Let's take you through today's order of play, starting with the first-round matches on the high-profile show Court Philippe-Chatrier.
Play is due to start in just over an hour… R. Šramková vs. I. Świątek (5)
N. Osaka vs. P. Badosa (10)
T. Atmane vs. R. Gasquet
J. Sinner (1) vs. A. Rinderknech
So that's three matches during the day with Jannik Sinner's first-round match coming in the evening session — meaning it will not start before 8:15 p.m. local time (2:15 p.m. ET). Getty Images
Reigning women's singles champion Iga Świątek is in action today — as a four-time winner of the French Open she knows what it takes to be successful at Roland Garros.
So how does she feel coming into the tournament and her first round game today? Well, she spoke earlier in the tournament when the draw was made about her hopes for this year:
"Every year is different, so you need to look ahead and have your goals for the future," she said. "But I am proud of my achievements here. I have great memories from past years and every tournament was a totally different story so I learned a lot, and it's always a pleasure to come back here and to play on these courts again. These are the best courts to play in.
"Everybody is here to win. I am working hard to be as ready as possible and to play good tennis. This season has had more ups and downs than the seasons before but I know my game is there. I just need to figure out how to use it at the best moments in matches. Tennis is sometimes a complicated sport but we should make it easy in our head so I'll start, step by step." Getty Images
No player has made themselves feel at home like Rafael Nadal at Roland Garros.
The Spaniard dominated the men's singles event for 20 years, picking up a record 14 titles along the way. It earned the now-retired Nadal his own statue outside the famous old venue, where he amassed a remarkable 112 wins and just three defeats in his career.
And yesterday, we were treated to a tribute ceremony on Court Philippe-Chatrier to honour his career at this tournament.
Here's a reminder of his French Open record: Record titles won: 14
Highest number of victories at a single major: 112
Longest winning streak in Roland Garros history: 39 matches (2010-2015)
Seven finals won in straight sets
Four titles won without dropping a set Getty Images
They are the star of the show at the French Open: the dusty red courts that provide some of the most entertaining tennis on the calendar.
For more than 50 years, the clay used at Roland Garros has come from a single factory in Oise, north of Paris and is made of bricks that are specifically used in France.
Around 2,000 tonnes of bricks are needed each year to produce enough clay for tennis courts — 80 tonnes of clay is the usual order for courts at the French Open.
The clay comes from new bricks with imperfections unsuitable for construction being crushed into a fine sand. Those particles of dust are less than one-tenth of a milimeter in size, creating the perfect surface for players to slide. Getty Images
Roland Garros is famous for its red clay courts, which consist of crushed brick rolled over a limestone surface. Different clay courts around the world play differently and, as Venus Williams told the New York Times in 2010:''All clay courts are different. None play the same. This one (Roland Garros) plays the best.'
Clay can be the most physically demanding surface for players, who can slide as they meet the ball, and is slower than hard courts or grass. That requires players to think multiple shots ahead and execute subtle moves by executing more spin.
Countries where clay courts are common — France, Spain, Italy, the Mediterranean and Latin America — have produced players who have typically fared well at Roland Garros.
Named after the French aviator, Roland Garros lies in Paris's 16th arrondissement and is the only major to be played on clay courts. The name of the stadium is used interchangeably with the tournament's official title of the French Open, with 20 courts making up the stadium complex.
The biggest is Court Philippe-Chatrier, which has a 15,000 seat capacity. It was completed in 1928 as France prepared to defend its Davis Cup title at a peak period for tennis in the country dominated by the 'Four Musketeers' (Jean Borotra, Jacques Brugnon, Henri Cochet and René Lacoste).
One stand is named after each of the tennis Musketeers at Court Philippe-Chatrier. Getty Images
Every sporty kid dreams of the moment — lifting a trophy in front of adoring fans.
Well, in the men's tournament at the French Open, that means lifting the Coupe des Mousquetaires. The silver bowl-shaped trophy is named after four of France's famous tennis players known as the Four Musketeers (Jean Borotra, Jacques Brugnon, Henri Cochet and Rene Lacoste).
As for the women's singles champion, she collects the Coupe Suzanne Lenglen — named after the female French tennis player who was the inaugural world No. 1 from 1921 to 1926.
That's some history behind both trophies.
It's a pretty tidy sum for those lucky enough to be crowned champions.
Both the men's and the women's singles champions will take home an equal prize pot of €2.55 million (£2.33 million / $3.09 million).
That's an increase from the €2.4 million (£2.02 million / $2.72 million) won by Iga Świątek and Carlos Alcaraz last year.
But the winners' trophy and a place in history is the real prize for most players.
The story goes that Sabalenka started playing tennis by chance as a child — and it's a pretty good piece of fortune that she did.
Three major titles, 20 WTA Tour titles and the current No. 1 WTA ranking later and it's safe to say her commitment to that moment of chance has paid off. Sabalenka's best French Open finish is in the semifinal in 2023, so she will be looking to go one further this year to put herself another step closer to a career Grand Slam.
In a warm up for the competition at the Italian Open, she was knocked out in the quarterfinals by Zheng Qinwen in straight sets, but she advanced to the second round yesterday with a 6-1, 6-0 victory over Kamilla Rakhimova. The Athletic
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We'll be bringing you live updates and analysis throughout today's action (and plenty in the build-up, too) but if you want to catch Roland Garros live, here's all the information you need: U.S.: TNT Sports, Max
TNT Sports, Max UK: TNT Sports
TNT Sports Canada: TSN
TSN France: France.tv Sport, Amazon Prime Getty Images
The first round matches in both the men's and women's singles begin today at 11 a.m. CEST, which is 10 a.m. BST in London.
That works out at 5 a.m. ET on the east coast of the U.S. and 2 a.m. PT on the west coast.
This evening's session will start no earlier than 8:15 p.m. CEST in Paris, which is 7:15 p.m. BST, 2:15 p.m. ET, and 11:15 a.m. PT.
Hello and welcome along to today's coverage of the second day of the French Open at Roland Garros!
And what a tournament we should have in store at this, the second major of the year and the only one to be held on clay.
We have a full slate of matches at this early stage of the competition in the men's and women's singles, so stick around for all the latest news, analysis, and match updates from around the courts as play gets underway.