(May 29, 2023) Competing in his first major as the top seed, Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz moved in the second round of Paris on Monday with a 6-0, 6-2, 7-5 win over qualifier Flavio Cobolli of Italy. The 20-year-old was tested in the third set, needing 5 match points to clinch. The Italian was playing his first major main draw match.
“It’s great to play here, my first time on Suzanne-Lenglen,” said Alcaraz. “It’s a great court and yeah I really enjoyed that, with great energy from the crowd. I really wanted to come back with a great level.”
Two-time Roland Garros champion and third seed Novak Djokovic won 6-3, 6-2, 7-6(1) over first-timer at a major tournament Aleksandar Kovacevic of the U. S.
“I think I played really well and held things under control for two-and-a-half sets and then lost my serve and things got a little bit on a wrong side for me,” said Djokovic in his post-match news conference. “But, you know, I managed to hold my nerves and played pretty much a perfect tie-break.
“So overall [I am] pleased and content with my level. I can always play better, I know I can do it, but also considering the conditions, they were quite tricky today with a lot of wind. It was a good match.”
Upset of the day on the men’s side of the tournament was No. 10 Felix Auger-Aliassime. The Frenchman lost to veteran Fabio Fognini a 2011 quarter-finalist 6-4, 6-4, 6-3.
The Frenchman said he was under the weather to media.
The No. 10 seed in the women’s draw also lost on Monday. Czech Petra Kvitova lost to 6-3, 6-4 to Elisabetta Cocciaretto.
The number one French woman, No. 8 Caroline Garcia stopped world No. 64 Xiyu Wang of China 7-6 (4), 4-6, 6-4.
American Sloane Stephens, a 2018 finalist in Paris, knocked out 16th seed Karolina Pliskova to move in tho the second round of the US Open on Monday. American women went 4-0 on Monday.
“This is my favorite court in the world, so I’m super happy to be back,” the 2017 U.S. Open champion Stephens said to the crowd on Court Philippe Chatrier. “To start a Slam on your favorite court, your favorite surface, is always incredible.”
Madison Keys, the runner-up to Stephens at the 2017 U.S. Open held off the always dangerous Estonian Kaia Kanepi 6-1, 3-6, 6-1.
U.S. qualifier Kayla Day beat French wild-card entry Kristina Mladenovic 7-5, 6-1, while Croatian American Bernarda Pera beat former world No. 2 Anett Kontaveit 7-6 (6), 6-2.
Seeds falling on the women’s side included No. 12 Belinda Bencic, beaten by Lucky Loser Elina Avanesyan in three sets and No. 26 Martina Trevisan falling to former Top 10 player Elina Svitolina 6-2, 6-2, back from maternity leave.
More to follow…..
