American flag-bearer Coco Gauff lost unexpectedly to Donna Vekic earlier today in a match that left her crying over a disputed line call.
The amended “out” call was at the center of the dispute. Vekic’s shot had obviously found the line, as indicated by the ball mark, and Gauff did not contest the adjustment.
Instead, she stated that the erroneous call had delayed her stroke (which she failed to receive, on a crucial turning point for Vekic). Although it appeared from the replays that the call came after Gauff made touch with the ball, she was obviously upset and complained to chair umpire Jaume Campistol that she was always losing these kinds of calls.
“It always happens to me here at the French Open,” declared Gauff, who ultimately lost 7-6, 6-2. “Each and every time. It’s happened about four or five times already this year.
Later today, Gauff will have her chance at atonement when she teams up with Taylor Fritz in the mixed doubles on Court Simonne-Mathieu against Nadia Podoroska and Maximo Gonzalez of Argentina.
Coco Gauff
3:57 P.M.
The guide is the master.
Carlos Alcaraz is without a doubt the most attractive player in tennis, but in the pair’s opening round triumph, he depended on the shoulders of a titan. In what was only his seventh doubles match at the professional level, the young player had a patchy beginning. His first service match was broken, and opponents would often send players to his side of the court. To put it mildly, it is a huge relief to be able to rely on Rafa Nadal’s experience with clay.
In the end, there was simply too much firepower between the two of them, and as Alcaraz warmed up to the situation, the Spaniards coasted through – you can read our account here.
3:42 P.M.
Heat of 35°C causing issues
After a rainy start to the games at the opening ceremony, which persisted into day 1 and resulted in the postponement of numerous matches on the outdoor courts, Paris is now fully submerged in sunlight, with sources indicating that Roland Garros is currently scorching at 35°C.
Rafael Nadal’s triumphant career at Roland Garros leaves no detail unexplored, but it will be intriguing to watch how the players perform, particularly in light of the British player Jack Draper’s recent complaint about the shortage of cool water after his afternoon loss to Taylor Fritz.
1:00PM
Will Spanish pair escape injury in sweltering heat?
Hello and welcome to the second round of the men’s doubles as Spain’s kings of clay Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal continue their instantly legendary collaboration to take on the Netherlands’ Tallon Griekspoor and Wesley Koolhoof in round two on Roland Garros’ Court Suzanne-Lenglen.
The two opened their campaign in strong manner, beating Argetinian sixth seeds Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Molteni 7-6, 6-4, and world number three Alcaraz previewed this fixture with a 6-1, 7-6 triumph against Griekspoor yesterday. Though Alcaraz was so dominant in the second set that the Dutchman downplayed the incident after the match, the 21-year-old had to take a medical timeout at 4-5 for a persistent groin issue.
Despite the setback, Alcaraz maintained his self-assurance, saying, “It’s normal for a tennis player as this game is so demanding.”
“I will try to recover and be ready and at 100 percent in the doubles.”
Nadal’s injury status, conversely, is much more ambiguous; he looked a different man to the one who has won 14 French Open titles here in his 6-1, 6-4 loss to Novak Djokovic yesterday, so the body that has succumbed to hip injuries for both the US Open and Wimbledon this year will be thankful that its demands are limited to one tournament now.
It will also be thankful, no doubt, that Alcaraz is in the form of his life, having won the last two grand slams, including the singles here at Roland Garros back in June, as it becomes increasingly apparent that the 21-year-old is more than capable of following his teammate’s significantly large footsteps in a fascinating ‘changing of the guard’ doubles dynamic.
Though you would think they would aim to maximize Nadal’s time at the net, the two have relatively little time on the court together—on the same side of the net, at least—but their left- and right-hand grips and unparalleled baseline abilities compliment each other nicely.
Their opponents, meanwhile, sailed through their initial round with a 6-2, 6-3 win over Hungary’s Marton Fucsovics and Fabian Marozsan, and their medal hopes rest completely on this match given Griekspoor’s singles exit and Koolhoof’s absence in the singles bracket.