Roland-Garros Day 2 men’s recap – Musetti makes quick work of Goffin, joins Federer, Medvedev, Sinner in second round
Your guide to the biggest stories from the men’s side at 2021 Roland-Garros as the first round continues in Paris on Monday 31 May
Lorenzo Musetti
• Seeds winning on Monday at Roland-Garros (1st round): Daniil Medvedev (No 2), Roger Federer (No 8), Casper Ruud (No 15), Jannik Sinner (No 18), Nikoloz Basilashvili (No 28), Taylor Fritz (30), John Isner (No 31), Reilly Opelka (No 32).
• Seeds losing on Monday: David Goffin (13), Lorenzo Sonego (No 26).
• Yesterday’s coverage about Thiem’s and Dimitrov’s losses plus Tsitsipas and Zverev’s wins (and even more) is available here.
• To follow our full coverage of the 2021 French Open, please visit this page.
• To follow live results and to see the men’s draw and women’s draw, we recommend you follow the official Roland Garros website.
• Tomorrow’s programme at Roland-Garros is available here. For today’s schedule, you can click here).
• All the practical information – how to watch the tournament, how to buy tickets and everything else you could possibly need to know – are hopefully on this page.
FEDERER STARTS FAST
Roger Federer kicked off his fortnight with a 6-3, 6-4, 6-3 rout of Denis Istomin. The 39-year-old required only one hour and 33 minutes in his first Roland-Garros match since 2019, and he did not face a single break point.
Marin Cilic could be next for Federer in round two.
LANDMARK WIN FOR MEDVEDEV
Second seed Daniil Medvedev had few problems against Alexander Bublik, winning 6-3, 6-3, 7-5 – a victory that marked his first-ever win in the main draw in Paris.
MUSETTI MARCHES PAST GOFFIN
Lorenzo Musetti knocked out No 13 David Goffin 6-0, 7-5, 7-6(3). After the 19-year-old issued a bagel in the first set, the next two frames could have gone either way. Things got especially crazy at the end of the third. Having been unbroken the entire match, Musetti suddenly dropped serve twice in a row — both times while serving for the match, at 5-4 and 6-5. Nonetheless, the Italian recovered to take the tiebreaker and finish the job in two hours and 18 minutes.
Musetti awaits either Jo-Wilfried Tsonga or Yoshihito Nishioka.
PAIRE PUTS UP A FIGHT, BUT RUUD WINS
Competitive is not something Benoit Paire has been in 2021. His season match record stands at 2-15 and 11 of his losses have come in straight sets.
Playing in front of the French crowd, however, an unusually inspired Paire put up a commendable fight on Monday at Roland-Garros. The Frenchman pushed an in-form Casper Ruud to a fourth-set tiebreaker before the Norwegian survived 5-7, 6-2, 6-1, 7-6(4). Ruud advanced after exactly three hours.
SINNER FIGHTS THROUGH IN FIVE
It was a first-round epic for 18th seed Jannik Sinner who needed all five sets to put aside Pierre-Hugues Herbert 6-1, 4-6, 6-7(4), 7-5, 6-4 on Court Suzanne-Lenglen.
ISNER WINS BATTLE OF AMERICANS
Former top 10 player John Isner was the first men’s player to win on Monday as Day 2 action kicked off at Roland-Garros in Paris. Seeded 31st this year, Isner scored a straight-sets 7-6, 6-3, 6-4 win over fellow big-serving American Sam Querrey.
OTHER RESULTS
- In another all-American duel, Steve Johnson beat Fraces Tiafoe 6-7(5), 3-6, 6-4, 6-2, 6-1
- Britain’s Cameron Norrie beat Bjorn Fratangelo 7-5, 7-6(5), 6-2
- Filip Krajinovic defeated qualifier Maximilian Marterer 6-4, 6-1, 7-6
- Brazil’s Thiago Monteiro advanced with a 6-3, 6-4, 6-3 win over lucky loser Francisco Cerundolo, the replacement for Milos Raonic
- Italy’s Gianluca Mager beat Peter Gojowczyk 6-2, 3-6, 6-4, 7-5; Gojowyczk was a lucky loser who filled in for John Millman
- Federico Delbonis beat Radu Albot 6-1, 2-6, 6-0, 6-1
- Lloyd Harris upset No 26 Lorenzo Sonego 7-5, 6-4, 6-4
- Yoshihito Nishioka held off Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6-4, 6-2, 3-6, 7-6(5)
