Over a dozen matches on Day 1 of the French Open included five-setters and an unwanted rain delay, with just one male Top 10 player making his debut. LWOT recap who impressed, and who struggled on the first day of the tournament.
French Open Day 1 Men’s Recap
Who Looked Good
Lorenzo Musetti, the eighth seed at the tournament, kicked off his campaign with a 7-5 6-2 6-0 win over Yannick Hanfmann. Musetti controlled the court from the baseline, and he did not face any break points during the match. The Italian has made the second week of the French Open twice during his young career.
Sunday was a great day for the Americans, as they compiled a 6-2 record overall on Day 1. Emilio Nava, who has been on a tear on the ATP Challenger Tour this spring, cruised past Botic van de Zandschulp in straight sets. Frances Tiafoe withstood the powerful and big-serving Roman Safiullin 6-4 7-5 6-4, as the American has struggled to string together back-to-back wins in 2025. Twelfth seed Tommy Paul rebounded from a tough first-set loss, winning 6-7 (5) 6-2 6-3 6-1 over the young Elmer Møller, a lucky loser.
A nod should also go to Damir Džumhur. Arguably Bosnia’s most successful tennis player, he won his first Grand Slam match since 2019 in his second Grand Slam main draw in three years. The former World No. 23 faced off against the clay-court specialist Thiago Agustín Tirante, winning in four sets.
The majority of the Frenchmen on court on Day 1 weren’t the favorites to win, but some faced some tough losses and let the pressure beat them in the final stretch. On the other side of the net, a couple of players shone by beating a hostile crowd. Kyrian Jacquet lost his first-round match against Nuno Borges from two sets up. Valentin Royer, making his Grand Slam debut, fell in a four-hour and 27-minute thriller to Daniel Galan; he lost 7-5 in the fifth set despite hitting 65 winners.
Who Looked Bad
There weren’t too many surprises on Day 1, but what could have been a perfect day for the Americans was spoiled by two seeds losing. 20-year-old Alex Michelsen, who reached the fourth round of the Australian Open, fell to Juan Manuel Cerundolo 6-3 6-2 6-4 as the No. 32 seed. Meanwhile, Brandon Nakashima couldn’t convert 12 of 18 break points, and ultimately fell in four sets to Mariano Navone as the No. 28 seed.
Tomas Machac also saw his French Open campaign come to a disappointing and premature end. He was the third seed to fall, retiring from his match against Quentin Halys due to back pain. This is his 17th mid-match retirement from any professional match, according to Tennis Abstract data, and Sunday’s retirement marks his fifth retirement of 2025.
Match of the Day (and a bonus moment of the day)
Ben Shelton, seeded 13th in the draw, was the sixth and final American to win on Day 1, but his win was surely the most exciting of the day. In the primetime match on Day 1, he needed five sets to dispatch Italian Lorenzo Sonego, winning in a rematch of their 2025 Australian Open quarterfinal. In a 6-4 4-6 3-6 6-2 6-3 victory, the American hit serves that reached up to 149 mph, and converted six of nine break points during the encounter.
Shelton was flashy at the net, chasing down balls in long rallies. He didn’t seem fazed after he played an inconsistent third set — one that ended in a sloppy volley miss in the net. The American broke Sonego’s serve early in the fourth set, jumped out to a fast 5-1 lead in the fourth set and largely controlled the court for the remainder of the match. Before the tournament, Shelton held a career 2-2 record at the French Open, as it is his least successful major to date. He’ll face either Hugo Gaston or Ugo Blanchet in the second round.
Prior to the evening session match, there was a special retirement ceremony for Rafael Nadal, who concluded his storied career at the 2024 Davis Cup last fall. A footprint of the Spaniard was engraved into Court Philippe-Chatrier, and he met his rivals and friends Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray in a surprise meeting on court.
Nadal, who won 14 French Open titles in his career, possesses an almost impossible record to beat at the clay-court major: 112-4. The Spaniard revealed Sunday that he has not yet picked up a tennis racket after retiring.
Main Photo Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
