- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
Reigning French Open champion Stan Wawrinka avoided becoming the first man in Open era history to crash out in the first round of the French Open, after climbing off the canvas to defeat Lukas Rosol in five sets.
The 31-year-old Swiss appeared in deep trouble after he fell two sets to one down, but he was not going to give up his title without a fight, even against a man who famously upset Grand Slam heavyweight Rafael Nadal at Wimbledon in 2012.
Not since Lleyton Hewitt at Wimbledon in 2003 has the defending men’s champion at any Grand Slam tournament lost his first match.
But any fears that Wawrinka, who upset Novak Djokovic in last year’s final 12 months after losing in the first round, would suffer that ignominy were extinguished in the final two sets as he won 4-6, 6-1, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.
Had he lost, it would have been the worst title defence by any man at Roland Garros since 2003 champion Juan Carlos Ferrero lost to Igor Andreev in the next year’s second round.
The Stanimal will now meet Japan’s Taro Daniel in the second round after his opponent, Martin Klizan, retired at 0-3 down in the fifth set. Daniel had been two sets to love down before recovering to level the match before Klizan pulled the plug in the deciding set.
While Wawrinka survived, another former Grand Slam champion, Marin Cilic, did not. The 2014 US Open champion became the highest-seeded casualty in the men’s draw so far, after he lost to Argentinian qualifier Marco Trungelliti in four sets.
The man Cilic was projected to meet in the fourth round, Milos Raonic, progressed after he completed his rain-interrupted match against Janko Tipsarevic overnight, as did Kei Nishikori and Richard Gasquet, who enjoyed straight-set victories over Simone Bolelli and Thomaz Bellucci respectively.
Meanwhile, second seed Andy Murray’s first-round match against Czech veteran Radek Stepanek was suspended late on Day 2 due to bad light.
The Scot was starring down the barrel of his first Grand Slam first-round exit since the 2008 Australian Open (and first at the French Open since 2006) when he fell two sets to love down, but hit back hard to take the third set 6-0 and was leading 4-2 in the fourth when play was called off.
Murray will look to complete the comeback when play resumes on Day 3; he is second on Court Philippe Chatrier after reigning Australian Open women’s champion Angelique Kerber’s first round match against Kiki Bertens.
In the women’s draw, fourth seed Garbine Muguruza also flirted with disaster before recovering from a set down to defeat Slovakia’s Anna Karolina Schmiedlova in three sets.
Schmiedlova, winless since January, took the opening set 6-3, before Muguruza stormed back to take the next two sets by the same scoreline but not before taking up to 15 minutes to hold her first service game early in the second set.
Nonetheless, the Spaniard, who stunned Serena Williams in the second round two years ago, won through to the second round, where French wildcard Myrtille Georges awaits.
In contrast to the challenge Muguruza faced, second seed Agnieszka Radwanska and sixth seed Simona Halep progressed without any fuss, dropping just two games each in their respective victories over Bojana Jovanovski (6-0, 6-2) and Nao Hibino (6-2, 6-0).
Radwanska and Angelique Kerber are both in the running to snatch the world number one ranking from Williams, and neither have many points to defend as they both lost in the first and third rounds respectively last year.
Williams is defending maximum points not only at Roland Garros, but also at Wimbledon, which means her status as the world’s top woman, which she has held since February 2013, is on the line over the next month and a half.
The Pole will fancy her chances of a deep run after the opponent she was projected to meet in the fourth round, 2012 finalist Sara Errani, suffered her earliest French Open exit for a while when she lost to Tsvetana Pironkova in straight sets.
Radwanska now faces local player Caroline Garcia, a recent winner in Strasbourg, in the second round.
2009 champion Svetlana Kuznetsova also progressed, completing her interrupted match against Yaroslava Shvedova with a three-set victory, as did 19th-seeded American Sloane Stephens, who defeated Margarita Gasparyan in straight sets.
Seventh seed, and last year’s surprise US Open finalist, Roberta Vinci became the highest-seeded female casualty when she lost to Kateryna Bondarenko in straight sets; she was also joined at the departure gates by 17th seed Karolina Pliskova, who went down to Shelby Rogers in three sets.
Australian Sam Stosur’s match against Japan’s Misaki Doi was suspended due to bad light in the second set, the 2010 finalist having taken the opening set 6-2 but trailing 1-3 in the second.
The top halves of both the men’s and women’s draw get underway on Day 3.
Whether it’s aces or races, try out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp for great odds and a great punting experience. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.