Paris, May 28 (EFE).- Rafael Nadal was eliminated in the first round of the French Open on Monday but did not indicate whether he would return to his favorite tournament next year.
Men’s world number two Jannik Sinner of Italy and women’s world number one Iga Swiatek of Poland overcame the hurdle of the first round without any problems.
All eyes were on Nadal, who was making a return after two years to the place where he has won 14 of his 22 Grand Slams.
It was a rare first-round duel in Paris where a player with Nadal’s stature and in-form German Alexander Zverev lined up.
Nadal’s recent recovery from injury proved to be insufficient against world number four Zverev, who came with no shortage of confidence after winning the Rome Open recently.
Zverev played a solid match to notch a 6-3, 7-6 (5), 6-3 win.
He will face the winner of the match between Belgian David Goffin and Frenchman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in the next round.
Sinner cleared up doubts about his physical condition that forced him to withdraw from Madrid and give up in Rome, crushing American Christopher Eubanks 6-3, 6-3, 6-4.
The 22-year-old Italian Australian Open winner underlined his status as a title contender with his eighth consecutive victory in a Grand Slam.
His next rival will be French veteran Richard Gasquet, who is about to turn 38 and is competing in his 21st Roland Garros, a record that he shares with Spain’s Feliciano Lopez.
Fifth-seeded Russian Daniil Medvedev had to work for his four set victory 6-3, 6-4, 5-7, 6-3 against German Dominik Koepfer in a match that lasted more than three hours.
The 2021 US Open winner, who has never managed to get past the quarterfinals in Paris, will now face Serbian Miomir Kecmanovic, who defeated Brazil’s Thiago Monteiro.
Stefanos Tsitsipas, the ninth seed, also won, beating Hungarian Marton Fucsovics, 7-6(7), 6-4, 6-1 and will face Daniel Altmaier in the next round.
In the women’s draw, Swiatek gave French qualifier Leolia Jeanjean no chance in her 6-1, 6-2 win.
She will face former Japanese world number one Naomi Osaka, who returned to the circuit after a maternity break.
American Coco Gauff was equally expeditious, scoring a 6-1, 6-1 win against Russian qualifier Julia Avdeeva.
The 2022 finalist and winner of the last US Open will face Slovenian Tamara Zidansek, a semi-finalist in 2021.
Fifth-seeded Czech Marketa Vondrousova also recorded an easy 6-1, 6-3 win against Spanish Rebeka Masarova.
It placed the reigning Wimbledon champion against American Katie Volynets in the second round.
The only upset in the women’s draw was the defeat of sixth seed Maria Sakkari of Greece, who lost to Frenchwoman Varvara Gracheva, 88th in the world, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3. EFE
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