PARIS : World number one Aryna Sabalenka powered into the French Open second round in style on Tuesday, while Daniil Medvedev suffered another early exit at Roland Garros and Naomi Osaka grabbed attention with her fashion flair.
Sabalenka, wearing a black-and-red mesh outfit and a diamond necklace, defeated Spain’s Jessica Bouzas Maneiro 6-4 6-2 on Court Philippe Chatrier.
“I feel like the Eiffel Tower at night when it’s sparkly,” Osaka said of her outfit inspired by Paris landmarks.
Defending champion Coco Gauff recovered from a slow start to beat fellow American Taylor Townsend 6-4 6-0, while world number one Jannik Sinner began his title bid with a commanding 6-1 6-3 6-4 victory over France’s Clement Tabur for his 30th straight win.
Medvedev’s struggles in Paris continued as the sixth seed lost 6-2 1-6 6-1 1-6 6-4 to Australian wildcard Adam Walton, marking his seventh first-round exit in 10 appearances at the clay-court Grand Slam.
American fifth seed Jessica Pegula became the highest-ranked woman to exit after losing to Australia’s Kimberly Birrell 1-6 6-3 6-3.
French teenager Moise Kouame delighted home fans by defeating former U.S. Open champion Marin Cilic in straight sets to become the youngest man in 17 years to win a Grand Slam main-draw match.
