Gauff finds groove after forgetting rackets as Medvedev exits

Japan Times

4 days ago

Coco Gauff forgot to take her rackets to the court but reminded her rivals of her French Open title ambitions with a commanding first-round win, while Daniil Medvedev was unable to string out his journey beyond the first round on a wet and windy Tuesday.
Three-time champion Novak Djokovic overcame the difficult conditions to begin his bid for a record 25th Grand Slam title with a victory after last year's finalist Alexander Zverev got off to a flier in his hunt for an elusive maiden major trophy.
Former Roland Garros runner-up Gauff provided some 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 beat Olivia Gadecki 6-2, 6-2.
"The most important thing is to play with a racket," said Gauff, who jokingly posted a photo on X later of a to-do list that had 'put tennis rackets in bag' unchecked.
"It probably relaxed me going into the match, because it was such a funny thing. I'm just happy to get through. I'll remember my rackets next time."
The Madrid and Rome finalist made up for a slightly delayed start to her match on Court Philippe Chatrier by easing through the first three games and wrapped up the opening set with a brave hold after dropping serve earlier.
There was no looking back from there as Gauff tightened her grip on the contest and booked a clash with Tereza Valentova.
On the men's side, third seed Zverev sealed a comprehensive 6-3, 6-3, 6-4 victory over Learner Tien, avenging a defeat by the 19-year-old American in Acapulco earlier this year.
Medvedev was not as efficient, losing eight consecutive games after taking a 3-1 lead in the opening set against Cameron Norrie, and his frustrations boiled over in a series of animated gestures towards his team during a 7-5, 6-3, 4-6, 1-6, 7-5 loss.
Norrie enjoyed every bit of the Russian's meltdown.
"Every time I played Daniil, he's never snapped. He's never said anything. He's just completely locked in and chops me every time," Norrie said.
"It was quite nice in the first set to see him freaking out and talking to his box and trying to look for answers."
Fellow Briton Jack Draper found all the answers after dropping the opening set against Mattia Bellucci, as the world number five prevailed 3-6, 6-1, 6-4, 6-2 after 17th seed Andrey Rublev kept his cool to beat Lloyd Harris 6-4, 4-6, 6-3, 6-1.
Brazilian 18-year-old Joao Fonseca, after making a strong impression on his Grand Slam main draw debut at the Australian Open, hit the ground running in Paris by hammering 30th seed Hubert Hurkacz 6-2, 6-4, 6-2.
French showman Gael Monfils then produced a comeback for the ages in the evening, as the 38-year-old fought past Hugo Dellien 4-6, 3-6, 6-1, 7-6 (4), 6-1 to equal compatriot Yannick Noah on 40 Roland Garros singles victories.
Spirits lifted
Earlier, Dusan Lajovic crashed out 6-2, 6-4, 7-6 (4) to Kazakh lucky loser Alexander Shevchenko while Laslo Djere fell 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (6) to Australian ninth seed Alex De Minaur to the disappointment of Serbian fans.
Sixth seed Djokovic lifted their spirits, though, as the 38-year-old wrestled Mackenzie McDonald into submission with a 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 win on the same court where he captured singles gold at the Olympics last year.
"It's great to return here a year later. I don't know how many Grand Slams I have left but this is special," he said.
"I know I can play at a better level than today but I'm satisfied. There's the chance to make further history, that's the biggest motivation to work, improve and be here."
It was the end of the road for Bulgarian veteran Grigor Dimitrov after the 16th seed pulled up with a left thigh injury during his match against Ethan Quinn to exit a fourth straight Grand Slam due to retirement.
In the women's draw, former runner-up Sofia Kenin 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.
Former world number one Victoria Azarenka became the oldest woman in the professional era since 1968 to win a singles Grand Slam main-draw match with a 6-0, 6-0 scoreline, after the 35-year-old dished out a double bagel to Yanina Wickmayer.
Marketa Vondrousova, the 2023 Wimbledon champion, breezed past Oksana Selekhmeteva 6-4, 6-4 while sixth seed Mirra Andreeva beat Cristina Bucsa 6-4, 6-3 to underline her title credentials after a run to last year's semi-finals.
Andreeva's idol Ons Jabeur suffered a shock first round defeat by Magdalena Frech on Court Simonne Mathieu, as the twice-quarterfinalist went down 7-6 (4) 6-0.