Around the grounds at the Porte D'Auteuil venue on the final day of first round action
©Johan Sonnet / FFTWhile fans enjoyed a procession of superstar players on the big show courts on Day 3, it was over on Court 7 during the early evening slot where one of Tuesday’s most significant events took place.
Fans had lined up well before Brazilian teenager Joao Fonseca had even made an appearance, trying to somehow squeeze their way into the Court 7 stands.
Those that secured a precious vantage point weren’t disappointed as the 18-year-old hammered 28th seed Hubert Hurkacz for his first Roland-Garros win.
The explosive right-hander torched 36 winners in front of jam-packed stands full of noisy Brazilians and we threw RG writer Chris Oddo into the cauldron so he could tell us exactly what it was like.
A few hours later and it was French 38-year-old Gael Monfils sending fans home delirious as the magic man recovered from two sets down to beat Bolivia’s Hugo Dellien for his 40th win at his home major.
One of the other memorable matches on Day 3 saw Britain’s Cameron Norrie beat 11th seed Daniil Medvedev 7-5 in the fifth set for what the left-hander described as one of his best ever wins. Norrie’s racket launch to celebrate the victory was almost as spectacular as his performance.
Back to those names that sit towards the top of the rankings and there were early wins for 2024 semi-finalist Mirra Andreeva, and No.2 seed Coco Gauff - despite the American arriving on court without any rackets.
Novak Djokovic began his bid to claim a record 25th Grand Slam singles title in style, brushing aside American Mackie McDonald in straight sets.
And last year’s runner-up Alexander Zverev was looking pretty good as he cruised against another player from the US, Learner Tien.
French leftie Corentin Moutet often has a trick or two up his sleeve and Tuesday will be remembered for one of the points of the event so far, a miraculous ‘steal’ as Moutet set up a second round meeting with Djokovic (see below).
Second round matches kick off on Wednesday. Women’s top seed Aryna Sabalenka and men's defending champion Carlos Alcaraz are both back, while probably the match of the day on paper at least sees four-time champion Iga Swiatek and Emma Raducanu meet during the Chatrier day session.
Alix Ramsay previews the opening second round matches on Day 4.
A little further down the order of play sheet you’ll find the names Eva Lys and Victoria Mboko who will face off on Court 7 for a spot in the third round.
Ahead of that one, read Victoria Chiesa’s fascinating feature on the German player Lys, who has had to manage an autoimmune condition as a tennis professional for the last five years.
Play gets under way at 11am on Day 4.
ROLAND-GARROS
19 May - 8 June 2025
©Johan Sonnet / FFT