First-round men’s tennis action concluded at the 2025 French Open on Tuesday, and there was plenty of excitement across the big courts to the outer courts. Top seeds impressed in their opening matches, and there were a couple of long and exhausting battles along the way. We catch you up onf the big storylines of Day 3.
French Open Day 3 Men’s Recap
Who Looked Good
Novak Djokovic started strong at this year’s French Open, coming off his 100th ATP Tour title in Geneva last week. He defeated American Mackenzie McDonald 6-3 6-3 6-3, after a spat with tournament officials regarding rainy and windy conditions on the court. The Serb will look to improve on a quarterfinal appearance from last year’s tournament, where an injury hampered him. The last time Djokovic played at the Stade Roland Garros, he won an elusive Gold Medal last August.
The defending finalist, Alexander Zverev, had a tricky first-round matchup but had no issues dispatching Learner Tien in a 6-3 6-3 6-4 win. Tien had stunned Zverev the last time they played, on the hard courts in Acapulco this year. Tien’s previous Grand Slam appearance saw him stun fans in a fourth-round breakthrough. Zverev did not drop serve and won 90% of points off his first serve.
Jack Draper, the fifth seed, and ninth-seeded Alex De Minaur had a bit more work cut out for them — but they each defeated Matteo Bellucci and Laslo Djere, respectively. Draper played an inconsistent first set, but recovered to win 3-6 6-1 6-4 6-2. De Minaur saved set points in the third set, and won 6-3 6-4 7-6 (6).
It was also a flawless French Open debut for 18-year-old star Joao Fonseca. The Brazilian will likely crack the world’s Top 60 after he cruised past Hubert Hurkacz in straight sets. Court 7, where the match was played, was filled to the brim, and Fonseca hit some of the best shots of the tournament so far.
Who Looked Bad
On the flip side of Fonseca’s strong performance on Tuesday, it was a disappointing performance from Hurkacz. Usually a strong server, the Pole only hit six aces and couldn’t break Fonseca’s serve once. Hurkacz was defending fourth-round points from last year’s French Open.
It was also a rough day for Felix Auger-Aliassime, who lost his first-round match against Matteo Arnaldi from two sets up. The Canadian has now lost from two sets up in consecutive Grand Slams. He may drop outside the Top 30 as a result.
Grigor Dimitrov, the World No. 17, saddened fans worldwide after he had to retire from a fourth Grand Slam in a row. After leading the young American Ethan Quinn, a thigh injury hampered the 34-year-old, and he had to retire after losing the third set. Dimitrov is now 14-10 on the 2025 season, but doesn’t have a ton of ranking points to defend as he faced injury concerns in the latter half of 2024.
Match of the Day
Two matches are candidates for match of the day, the first being a five-set thriller between Daniil Medvedev and Cameron Norrie. It was a poor match by the Russian to go out in the first round, but as a clay-court antagonist, he lost 7-5 6-3 4-6 1-6 7-5 before a packed Court Simonne-Mathieu to the Brit. After twists and turns, Medvedev lost the match after serving for the fifth set. Norrie stepped up his game with stronger forehands, despite struggling in the shorter rallies throughout the match.
Norrie, currently ranked 81st in the world, defeated a Top 20 player for the first time since January 2024 as a result.
The other top match was another primetime classic on Court Philippe-Chatrier, as Gael Monfils defeated Hugo Dellien in front of a loud French crowd. All three matches in the primetime slot have been high-quality affairs. Monfils won 4-6 3-6 6-1 7-6 (4) 6-1, improving in endurance as the match wore on. It’s the third time the 38-year-old has come from two sets to none down in his long and storied career.
Main Photo Credit: Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports
