Key events
Weâll soon be away on Chatrier; Lucia Bronzetti and Naomi Osaka are due in two minutes.
Huge first serves do the trick for Sonego, the game secured to 15 and with it the set, 6-4. He beat Humbert in three sets in last yearâs round two, and heâs looking good again.
Sonego is out-thinking Humbert at the moment, every hold a mission for the local boy. But he ekes out another â on which point eek not eke is one of my favourite American spellings â so the Italian will now serve for set one at 5-4. Elsewhere, Bouzkova has taken the first off Kudermetova, finishing it off with a second break for 6-2.
Bouzkova leads Kudermetova 4-2, as Tomljanovic does to Yastremska; Rublev, meanwhile, has set point as Daniel serves then nets, and leads 6-2.
Sonego and Rublev both consolidate, so letâs have a think about the latter, who is so likeable and good, but not quite good enough to find a way when he really needs to â and doesnât he know it. While losing to Francis Tiafoe â a player heâd expect to beat â in the quarters in New York, he broke down, and in the ATP Final whacked himself with his racket so hard he drew blood. He wants it so badly, but unlike other players less good than he, he doesnât have a weapon so big it sometimes works against the best, nor a game that when it clicks can be unbeatable. Iâd love for him to find a way, but I canât see it.
Humbert nets a backhand and Sonego breaks for 3-2 in the first; Rublev does likewise to Daniel for 4-3.
Humbert is a hard-courter really, but lanky lefties are nasty on any surface and the clay is bouncing pretty high early doors. Sonego, though, is creative and brave â exactly what you donât want in round one â and iâd not be surprised if this one goes long. So far, theyâve taken 13 minutes over three games, Humber leading 2-1.
Weâre on serve in our two main matches, Hunbert leading Sonego â whoâs just flipped low around the net for a cheeky winner â 1-0, while Rublev is 2-1 up on Daniel.
Also today, weâve got Nicolas Jarry â keep an eye on him, heâs a threat â playing Corentin Moutet, a local boy with flair for weeks; second on 12, Jack Draper meets Jesper De Jong, a Dutch qualifier; and Richard Gasquet meets Borna Coric.
To begin with, Iâm watching Andrey Rublev (6) v Taro Daniel â thatâs a tricky start for the seed, who begins yet another quest to beat a higher-ranked player in a Slam. Otherwise, Iâm on Ugo Humbert (17) v Lorenzo Sonego â that too should be fun â and Marie Bouzková v Veronika Kudermetova (29).
Preamble
Zut alors! For the first time in a long time, we arrive at Roland Garros without any sort of clue whatâll happen in the menâs competition â Novak Djokovic is out of form and Rafael Nadal has no form â but a very good of idea of how the womenâs will go â Iga Swiatek looks impregnable. Except both Djokovic and Nadal are more than capable of switching it on, while Coco Gauff and Aryna Sabalenka are improving fast enough to aggravate Swiatek. Chauette!
Today, though, we settle into things with various brilliant others â Naomi Osaka, Carlos Alcaraz, Jelena Ostapenko, Andrey Rublev and Barbora Krejcikova are all in action, so letâs get on with it! On y va!