Of a total of 17 participations, Stan Wawrinka had only been eliminated three times in the first round of Roland Garros. the Swiss, champion in Paris in 2015, today suffered the fourth defeat of his career in the first match on French clay, precisely against a local player, Corentin Moutet, number 139 in the world and invited by the organization, by 1-6, 6-3, 7-6(2) and 6-3.
The reality of Wawrinka today is very different from that of 2015. After missing much of 2021 due to a foot injury, the Swiss fell to 264th place in the world ranking (he entered Roland Garros by protected ranking), and since his comeback last month, Stan has four losses and two wins. His performance in Rome was good, reaching the round of 16, and that good level was maintained in today’s first set, which he clearly won. However, Wawrinka then fell apart, especially his physicality, and a Moutet spurred on by the French fans turned the game around. The Frenchman thus breaks a streak of three consecutive losses at Roland Garros, and meets Rafa Nadal in the second round. Without Wawrinka there will not be, therefore, a duel between two champions.
American Reily Opelka, seeded 17th in the tournament, did not have his best day either. The American was surprised in three sets by Serbian Filip Krajinovic (7-6(5), 6-2, 6-3). Despite the fact that Opelka’s clay court tour, semi-finalist in Rome last year, started well in 2022 by winning the title in Houston, since then the American has not raised his head, saying goodbye at the first change in Madrid, Rome and now Roland Garros. Very firm from the service, Krajinovic wins in the first round for the third time in his career in a city where he has good memories (he was a finalist in the Masters 1,000 in Paris in 2017), and in his next match he will face Croatian Borna Gojo, who is playing his first Grand Slam final draw after qualifying. Today, Gojo won a five-set, five-hour marathon over Italy’s Giannesi.
Cilic sweeps and Fritz breaks a sweat
A compatriot from Gojo, Marin Cilic, has started in the tournament stepping on the accelerator. In just an hour and a half of the game, he has beaten the Hungarian Attila Balazs 6-0, 6-1 and 6-2. Balazs played his first ATP category match today for more than a year, and he has been in the dry dock due to injury. He has been noticeable from the start of the game, and Cilic has taken advantage of this, who is having a hard time starting on clay this year. The Croatian awaits the winner of Fucsovics-Blancaneaux in the second round. Also comfortable has been the premiere of the British Cameron Norrie, seeded 10th, who has got rid of the French wild card Manuel Guinard 7-5, 6-2, 6-0. It is the third time in the career of the South African born that he has won his first match at Roland Garros, and he will meet Australian Jason Kubler, number 160 in the world, who yesterday surprised Kudla in three sets.
For whom The debut at this Roland Garros has not been placid at all for Taylor Fritz. The American, seeded number 13 and winner of Indian Wells this year, made his debut today against Argentine Santiago Rodríguez Taverna, number 201 in the world and who came from the previous one. Fritz had not played on clay since Monte Carlo (he missed Madrid and Rome), and it was difficult for him to adapt to Parisian conditions. He won the first set in the tie-break with suffering, and also took the third set, but the Argentine was able to tie the match on two occasions. In the fifth set, with the three hours of the match over, Rodríguez Taverna was tired and Fritz stood out in the hot moments. The hard-fought victory by 7-6(2), 3-6, 6-3, 4-6 and 6-3 puts Fritz in the second round of the tournament, where he will face the Spaniard Bernabé Zapata.