Photo credit: Tony Chang/Chang Photography
The first round was the last stop for two American seeded stars.
No. 4-seeded Taylor Fritz and ninth-seeded Emma Navarro both bit the dust in their Roland Garros openers today.
Eight months ago, Fritz soared to his maiden major final and Navarro played her first Grand Slam semifinal at the US Open.
In a reminder that Paris’ red clay requires more patient point construction and exploration of short angles than the faster Flushing Meadows hard court that rewards first-strike aggression.
It is Fritz' first Grand Slam first-round exit since he lost to Brandon Holt in the 2022 US Open opener.
"It's kind of what's been going on a bit lately," Fritz told the media in Paris. "I think I'm playing generally fine. It's just a lot of important points, I just am like playing horrendous tennis on a lot of the important points.
"When I'm break point down, or I've got looks on his serve, like Love-30, 15-30, 30-All, break point. All the pressure, important points… I don't know what's going on. I'm finding ways to just play the worst point possible."
Jessica Bouzas Maneiro streaked through 11 games in a row stomping Navarro 6-0, 6-1 in a stunning upset.
This Roland Garros upsets comes a year after Bouzas Maneiro shocked defending Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova at The Championships last summer. The Spaniard will play 20-year-old American Robin Montgomery in round two.
German clay giant killer Daniel Altmaier whipped his one-handed backhand to all areas of the court toppling Fritz 7-5, 3-6, 6-3, 6-1 on Court Simonne Mathieu.
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Despite firing 14 aces without a double fault, Fritz often came up shorter in longer exchanges. Altmaier showed strength closing at net too: He won 20 of 26 trips to net.
The 66th-ranked Altmaier posted his fifth career Top 10 triumph, including his third Top 10 victory in Paris.
Two years ago, a then 79th-ranked Altmaier upset No. 9 Jannik Sinner at Roland Garros and remains the lowest-ranked man to defeat the Italian in a Grand Slam event. Altmaier's upset comes five years after he upset No. 8 Matteo Berrettini in Paris.
Altmaier has a legitimate shot for a second-week run. He faces Czechia's Vit Kopriva in round two.
Fritz, who fell in the French Open fourth round last year, struggled to find the range on his backhand at times and did not move as well as German opponent. Following his US Open final run last September, Fritz has suffered two early exits in Slams this year bowing in the Australian Open third round to ageless Gael Monfils.
Those results will ratchet up pressure as Fritz is defending Wimbledon quarterfinal and US Open final ranking points.
Lately, Fritz feels he isn't moving comfortably on clay and isn't playing with clarity on pivotal points.
"I mean, the fact that the last three weeks I feel like really awkward moving on the clay, which normally I don't," Fritz told the media in Paris. "I don't feel I feel very uncomfortable or clay normally. Hopefully that will go away with the surface.
"The fact that I'm not just converting big points, not playing big points well, the only way to get rid of that is have a match or a couple matches where that just doesn't happen and I perform well on some of those points…
"That's the thing. It's tough. It's not something you can really fix in practice."
Playing as a Top 10 seed at at a Slam for just the second time, Navarro was a shadow of the dynamic player who reached the French Open fourth round and US Open final four last year.
Bouzas Maneiro won 11 games in a row before Navarro got on the board to avoid the double bagel. Navarro hit four winners against 23 unforced errors absorbing a 57-minute thrashing.
It wasn’t all a red-clay sink hole for Americans.
The left-handed Robin Montgomery converted five of seven break points dismissing French wild card Diane Parry on Court No. 14.
It was a good day for American lefties: Bernarda Pera swept former French Open doubles champion and French Billie Jean King Cup hero Caroline Garcia, 6-4, 6-4, in Garcia’s final Roland Garros singles match. Pera plays 18th-seeded Donna Vekic in the second round.
Sebastian Korda set up a blockbuster all-American second-rounder vs. Jenson Brooksby.
Korda cracked 39 winners in a 6-2, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 triumph over 45th-ranked Italian Luciano Darderi.
Though Korda and Brooksby, who are both 24, have never faced off on court—either in a match or a practice—yet they see each other daily. Korda shared they’re staying at the same hotel and say hello each morning.
The 2024 Charleston champion Danielle Collins conquered Briton Jodie Burrage 7-6(1), 6-4.
Collins will face tricky 24-year-old Serbian lefty Olga Danilovic for a spot in round three.
The winner of the Collins-Danilovic match could face world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the third round if the top-seeded Sabalenka stops Swiss Jil Teichmann in her second-rounder.