French Open: Medvedev Crashes Out In First Round; Gauff, Andreeva Breeze Through

Former US champion Daniil Medvedev dealt with a shock exit in the first round, while Alexander Zverev made a strong start in his quest for a first Grand Slam title by defeating American teenager Learner Tien in straight sets, at Roland Garros on Tuesday.

The German third seed, who lost to Carlos Alcaraz in last year’s French Open final, triumphed 6-3, 6-3, 6-4 on Court Suzanne Lenglen. Zverev will face either Dutchman Jesper de Jong or Italy’s Francesco Passaro in the second round.

In a surprising turn of events, former US Open champion and five-time Grand Slam runner-up Daniil Medvedev was eliminated in the first round for the sixth time at Roland Garros, losing to Cameron Norrie in a dramatic match 7-5, 6-3, 4-6, 1-6, 7-5.

Elsewhere, Grigor Dimitrov retired injured for the fourth consecutive Grand Slam tournament, ending his match due to a leg injury while leading American Ethan Quinn by two sets to one.

Ninth seed Alex de Minaur, a quarter-finalist in each of the past four majors, began his campaign with a solid 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (8/6) win over Serbia’s Laslo Djere.

Gauff, Andreeva Cruise Through

In the women’s draw, 2022 runner-up Coco Gauff easily defeated Australia’s Olivia Gadecki 6-2, 6-2.

Despite not winning a tournament since last year’s WTA Finals, Gauff, the 2023 US Open winner, reached the finals in Madrid and Rome this month. The 21-year-old American has reached at least the quarter-finals in each of her past four visits to Roland Garros.

“I knew it wasn’t going to be a clean match with how windy it was," said the second seed. “Honestly, it felt like two different matches depending on which side of the court you were on."

Rising Russian star Mirra Andreeva is aiming for her first Grand Slam title after WTA 1000 victories in Dubai and Indian Wells. She recovered from a 3-0 deficit in the first set against Spaniard Cristina Bucsa and won 6-4, 6-3.

Andreeva, who reached the semi-finals last year, will play either American Ashlyn Krueger or Suzan Lamens of the Netherlands in the second round on Thursday.

Two-time former Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka dominated Belgium’s Yanina Wickmayer, who plans to retire after Wimbledon, with a 6-0, 6-0 victory.

Sofia Kenin, the 2020 finalist, also advanced to the second round, defeating French hopeful Varvara Gracheva 6-3, 6-1.

(with agency inputs)