French Open 2024 Results: Instant Reactions to Winners and Losers from Monday
Rafael Nadal played potentially his last match on Monday as he fell to No. 4 seed Alexander Zverev in straight sets.
Following the match, Nadal did not 100% rule out a return to Roland Garros, though it is yet to be seen what will happen with the 'King of Clay' going forward.
In the women's draw, Maria Sakarri was stunned for the second straight year in the first round of the French Open, while defending champion Iga Swiatek came out firing on all cylinders en route to a straight-set win.
In the bottom half of the men's draw, both Jannik Sinner and Stefanos Tsitsipas put on dominant displays, winning in straight sets, while Frances Tiafoe narrowly defeated qualifier Mattia Bellucci in five sets.
Monday French Open Results
Men's Singles
No. 2 Jannik Sinner def. Christopher Eubanks, 6-3, 6-3, 6-4
No. 4 Alexander Zverev def. Rafael Nadal, 6-3, 7-6 (5), 6-3
No. 5 Daniil Medvedev def. Dominik Koepfer, 6-3, 6-4, 5-7, 6-3
No. 9 Stefanos Tsitsipas def. Marton Fucsovics, 7-6 (7), 6-4, 6-1
No. 14 Tommy Paul def. Pedro Cachin, 6-2, 6-3, 6-1
No. 15 Ben Shelton def. Hugo Gaston, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4,
No. 18 Karen Khachanov def. Sumit Nagal, 6-2, 6-0, 7-6 (5)
No. 20 Sebastian Baez def. Gustavo Heide, 4-6, 6-3, 6-1, 4-6, 6-3
No. 21 Felix Auger-Aliassime def. Yoshihito Nishioka, 6-2, 6-4, 6-4
No. 22 Francisco Cerundolo def. Yannick Hanfmann, 6-3, 6-3, 6-4
No. 25 Frances Tiafoe def. Mattia Bellucci, 6-3, 3-6, 6-7 (6), 6-4, 6-4
Matteo Arnaldi def. 29 Arthur Fils, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-2
No. 30 Lorenzo Musetti def. Daniel Elahi Galan, 6-3, 6-3, 7-5
Pavel Kotov def. No. 32 Cameron Norrie, 4-6, 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (5), 6-2
Women's Singles
No. 1 Iga Swiatek def. Leolia Jeanjean, 6-1, 6-2
No. 3 Coco Gauff def. Julia Avdeeva, 6-1, 6-1
No. 5 Marketa Vondrousova def. Katie Volynets, 6-1, 6-3
Varvara Gracheva def. No. 6 Maria Sakkari, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3
No. 8 Ons Jabeur def. Sachia Vickery, 6-3, 6-2
No. 11 Daniel Collins def. Caroline Dolehide, 6-3, 6-4
No. 12 Jasmine Paolini def. Daria Saville, 6-3, 6-4
Elisabetta Cocciaretto def. No. 13 Beatriz Haddad Maia, 3-6, 6-4, 6-1
No. 15 Elina Svitolina def. Karolina Pliskova, 3-6, 6-4, 6-2
Viktoriya Tomova def. No. 16 Ekaterina Alexandrova, 6-3, 7-6 (5)
No. 17 Liudmila Samsonova def. Magda Linette, 6-1, 6-1
No. 20 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova def. Panna Uvardy, 6-3, 6-4
No. 23 Anna Kalinskaya def. Clara Burel, 7-6 (3), 7-5
No. 27 Linda Noskova def. Harriet Dart, 7-6 (3), 6-4
No. 31 Leylah Fernandez def. Jessika Ponchet, 6-2, 6-0
Rafael Nadal Loses in What Might Be Final French Open Match
In what may have been his last French Open, 14-time champion Rafael Nadal fell in straight sets to No. 4 seed Alexander Zverev.
Prior to Monday's match, Nadal had amassed a career record of 112-3 at the French Open and, in his career, had never suffered back-to-back clay-court losses.
Though, Zverev had the better of his opponent, justifying why he is among the top five favorites to win the French Open.
The 27-year-old German was phenomenal on serve and was able to break right back after giving Nadal an opportunity to serve out the second set.
While Nadal did not rule out a return to Roland Garros, he hinted post-match that it was highly possible.
Whether this was his final time at Roland Garros or not, Nadal left fans with signs of encouragement as he looked the best he has all year, showing glimpses of the player who has dominated on clay throughout his entire career.
Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff Breeze Through First Round
Two of the top three seeds absolutely dominated their opening-round matches.
No. 1 seed Iga Swiatek began her quest for her third straight French Open title with a 6-1, 6-2 win.
The 22-year-old, who needed just over an hour to complete the match, was not only dominant on her first serve, winning nearly 80% of points, but also flourished at the net.
Swiatek will face former World No. 1 Naomi Osaka in the second round of a match.
No. 3 seed Coco Gauff also displayed a masterpiece, winning 23 of 24 points on the first serve while also making easy work of her opponent's serve.
The 20-year-old will face Tamara Zidansek in the second round.
Maria Sakarri Stunned Again in First Round, Beatriz Haddad Maia Eliminated Early
For the second straight year, No. 6 seed Maria Sakkari has failed to make it out of the first round of the French Open.
In fact, since making it to the third round of the 2023 Australian Open, Sakarri has netted just one first-round victory in a Grand Slam tournament.
The former French Open semifinalist dominated on her first serve in the opening set, winning 12 of 15 points, though she struggled in the final two sets, winning under 65% of first serve points in each set.
Sakkari was not the only player to suffer an upset, however.
In the top half of the draw, 2023 French Open semifinalist Beatriz Haddad Maia lost in three sets.
Haddad Maia struggled to hold after the first set, losing five total service games in the last two sets.
Haddad Maia, who entered the tournament as world No. 14, exits as world No. 18, losing 770 points along the way.