PARIS, May 27 (Xinhua) -- Men's and women's top seeds Jannik Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka advanced comfortably to the second round of the 2026 French Open on Tuesday, while Daniil Medvedev and Jessica Pegula suffered a shock opening-round exit.
Sinner eased past French wildcard Clement Tabur 6-1, 6-3, 6-4, extending his winning streak to 30 matches. The Italian was the biggest title favorite after defending champion Carlos Alcaraz withdrew due to injury.
"I'm very happy to be back here," Sinner said in his on-court interview. "It's a very special place and I have great memories overall. First-round matches are never easy, but it's even more special to start the tournament during a night session, so thank you all for staying out."
Meanwhile, sixth seed Medvedev suffered one of the biggest shocks of the tournament so far as the Russian was stunned by Australian wildcard Adam Walton in a chaotic five-set battle 6-2, 1-6, 6-1, 1-6, 6-4.
"I want to play Grand Slams," Medvedev said in his post-match press conference. "I know that I am in good shape and I can play well in Roland Garros, as well. I can. It's just tougher for me [than the other majors] and first rounds are usually tougher for me, but I will always come here."
"Maybe I should consider playing a tournament before, which I usually don't do before Grand Slams, but when it doesn't work, why not? That's the only thing I will consider next year," he added.
17-year-old French wildcard Moise Kouame electrified the home crowd by beating former US Open champion Marin Cilic 7-6 (4), 6-2, 6-1. Kouame became the youngest male player to win a main-draw match at Roland-Garros since 1991 and the youngest man to win any Grand Slam match since 2009.
"I felt rather good," Kouame said. "I felt well prepared. I was ready. We worked a lot on the tactics, on how to approach the match with my team. Yesterday I also practiced a lot on these courts, and last year I also practiced and played here. So I knew a bit about the atmosphere and the crowd that was present today."
China's Zhang Zhizhen fell 6-1, 6-4, 6-3 to Argentine qualifier Facundo Diaz Acosta, who secured the first Roland-Garros main-draw win of his career.
On the women's side, world No. 1 Sabalenka defeated Jessica Bouzas Maneiro 6-4, 6-2, while defending champion Coco Gauff opened her title defense with a convincing 6-4, 6-0 victory over fellow American Taylor Townsend.
"I'd say that the first matches are always the trickiest ones," Sabalenka said afterward. "Because you're trying to see where you're at and trying to get used to conditions and fight the nerves and everything. I'd say that for me always not easy, the first rounds. And then, as more I play, as further I get in the tournament, as more comfortable I get, my level becomes better."
Former world No. 1 Naomi Osaka also advanced, overcoming Laura Siegemund 6-3, 7-6 (3) and continuing her return to top-level form on clay.
Fifth seed Pegula lost in three sets to Australia's Kimberly Birrell. The defeat marked Pegula's first opening-round loss at Roland-Garros in six years.
French hope Lois Boisson exited in the first round after a loss to Anna Kalinskaya, while several other French women also fell early, leaving only Elsa Jacquemot and Diane Parry in the second round.
China's veteran Zhang Shuai was beaten 6-4, 6-2 by American Ann Li, marking her fourth consecutive first-round loss in Grand Slam main-draw singles since last year's Wimbledon. ■
