Paris, May 29 (EFE).- Novak Djokovic began his quest for a fourth French Open title with a scratchy 6-4, 7-6(3), 6-4 win against debutant Frenchman Pierre-Hugues Herbert in the opening round at Roland Garros on Tuesday.
“It is a very special track for me. I think winning Roland Garros is the most difficult mountain to climb,” said Djokovic, who is seeking a record-setting 25th Grand Slam singles title that would lift him out of a tie with Margaret Court.
The other favorites, Norwegian Casper Ruud, Danish Holger Rune, and Australian Alex de Minaur, also won.
In the women’s draw, Belarusian second seed Aryna Sabalenka, Kazakh Elena Rybakina, and Chinese Qinwen Zheng advanced easily to the second round.
The same cannot be said about Djokovic, who ended up winning without giving any hint of how he arrived without lifting any trophy this season.
The world number one did not need much fanfare to defeat a rival accustomed to better results in doubles than in singles.
Djokovic needs to reach at least the final to have a chance of holding his world number-one ranking after Jannik Sinner won his first-round match.
His next rival will be Spain’s Roberto Carballes, whom he has beaten in their two previous duels, both at the Grand Slam.
Carballes surpassed the first round for the third consecutive year by defeating Frenchman Constant Lestienne, 86th in the world, 6-3, 7-5, 4-6, 6-2.
Ruud continued the good streak that led him last week to win the Geneva tournament, the second of the clay tour after Barcelona.
He beat Brazilian debutant Felipe Meligeni 6-3, 6-4, 6-3 in his 50th Grand Slam victory.
His next rival will be Alejandro Davidovich, who had defeated him in Paris in 2021 and won the round against Monegasque debutant Valentin Vacherot 4-6, 6-2, 6-2, 7-6 (2).
Australian Alex de Minaur won against American Alex Michelsen 6-1, 6-0, 6-2 to set up a tie against Spain’s Jaume Munar in the next round.
Munar beat his compatriot Roberto Bautista 6-1, 4-6, 6-4, 6-1.
Thirteen-seeded Danish Holger Rune beat British Daniel Evans 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 to join Italian Flavio Cobolli, who defeated Serbia’s Hamad Madjedovic, 6-2, 6-3, 6-7(2), 6-3, in the next round.
In the women’s draw, Sabalenka chasing her second Grand Slam title of the year after lifting the Australian Open, swept past Russian teenager Erika Andreeva, 6-1, 6-2.
The winner of the last two editions of the Australian Open proved intractable on her return to Paris, where last year she fell in the semi-finals.
Sabalenka will face Japanese Moyuka Uchijima in the second round after the latter defeated Spaniard Irene Burillo 6-1, 6-1.
World no. 4 Rybakina quickly resolved her duel against Belgian Greet Minnen, 6-2, 6-3.
In the next round, she will face Dutch Arantxa Rus, who defeated German veteran Angelique Kerber 6-4, 6-3.
Chinese Zheng, seventh seed and a finalist at the Australian Open, also did not suffer much against French Alize Cornet.
Retiring Cornet lost the last match of her career 6-2, 6-1.
Zheng will now face Germany’s Tamara Korpatsch, who beat American Ashlyn Krueger 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (11). EFE
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