The 2020 edition of Roland-Garros officially launched this Sunday. Yet not spared by the coronavirus, Benoît Paire spent a round. The other French people have known various destinies, while the top seeds have already fallen.
Pair succeeds in entering
Tested positive for Covid-19 at the end of August before the US Open, Benoît Paire could not play the tournament, while he was able to play that of Hamburg, after having tested positive again. Finally negative before Roland-Garros, the relief of the French had been palpable. This Sunday, the Habs, 25th player in the world and seeded No. 23, qualified for the second round, at the expense of the South Korean Kwon Soonwoo, 82nd player in the world, in three sets (7-5, 6-4 , 6-4) and 2h18 of play. A solid victory which obviously did not improve the mental state of the player, still affected by the last few weeks.
“With everything that has happened to me, it is not easy, said l’Avignonnais, at a press conference. Everyone will say that I find excuses, but when we spend ten days in a room of hotel (in New York), and another five days in Hamburg, it’s a completely truncated preparation. Afterwards, I try to hang on. ” The Frenchman admits it: “Physically, of course I don’t feel at the top. Mentally, it’s hard. But I try to hang on.” It remains to be seen how many laps will he manage to hold, knowing that his next opponent will be Argentina’s Federico Coria, 98th player in the world.
Garcia and Bonzi pass, Chardy, Benchetrit and Hoang out
On the French side, the other great performance of the day is to be put to the credit of Caroline Garcia. The 45th player in the world won the No. 17 seed, Estonian Anett Kontaveit (21st player in the world) in three sets (6-4, 3-6, 6-4) and 2:07 of play. In the next round , the Lyonnaise will have a good card to play against the Belarusian Aliaksandra Sasnovich, 96th player in the world.
The first Frenchman to qualify for the second round this Sunday is the only one to come out of qualifying. Benjamin Bonzi, 225th player in the world, disposed of the Finnish Emil Ruusuvuori, 92nd player in the world, in four sets (6-2, 6-4, 4-6, 6-4) and 2h36 of play. On the other hand, it is ( already) finished for Jérémy Chardy (63rd), released by the Austrian Jurij Rodionov (169th), resulting from the qualifications, in five rounds and after 4:42 of combat. Eliminations also of Elliot Benchetrit, logically released by the American John Isner (n ° 21), and Antoine Hoang (129th), invited for this edition and who went until the third round last year. For his part, Corentin Moutet (70th) will have to return. His match against Lorenzo Giustino (156th) was interrupted, while the Italian, out of qualifying, led (0-6, 7-6 (7), 4-3), after 2:02 of play.
Goffin goes by the wayside, Halep holds his rank
This first day had its share of surprises. First on the Philippe-Chatrier court, David Goffin, 12th player in the world and seeded No. 11, appeared totally unrecognizable. Quarter-finalist in 2016, the Belgian will therefore not pass the first round this time. The fault of the very young Italian Jannik Sinner, 74th player in the world, who was expeditious (7-5, 6-0, 6-3), in 2h02 of play. However, last year, Goffin had been the one of the two players to take a set from Rafael Nadal, who then won his 12th Roland-Garros a few days later. In the shock of the day, Stan Wawrinka left no change to Andy Murray, who came down to 111th place in the world, crushed in three sets (6-1, 6-3, 6-2).
Among the women, the Romanian Simona Halep, seeded No. 1 in the absence of the world number one, the Australian Ashleigh Barty, title holder, qualified for the second round, at the expense of the Spaniard Sara Sorribes Tormo (6-4, 6-0). It also goes for the little American prodigy, Cori Gauff (16), who even offered the seed n ° 9, namely the British Johanna Konta. Finally, the revenge Victoria Azarenka (n ° 14), finalist of the US Open, did not tremble and remains on her momentum.
