When it comes to hitting aces, big-serving Ivo Karlovic has no rival.
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Last year Stepanek became the oldest man to win a match in Paris since 38-year-old Connors in 1991, having recovered from a crippling back injury that could have ended his career. Connors was 39 when he progressed to the semifinals at Flushing Meadows that year.
Garbine Muguruza, the No. 4 seed on the women’s side, had to go three sets to beat Anna Karolina Schmiedlova, 3-6, 6-3, 6-3.
It was the sixth French Open for Riske, who entered the tournament ranked 93rd in the world.
Speaking after a first-round victory Tuesday at the French Open, Bouchard said she felt as though food “would come right back up” and struggled with weight loss in 2015, when her ranking slipped.
Defending champion Stan Wawrinka survived a huge first-round scare against Lukas Rosol at the French Open, scraping his way to a 4-6, 6-1, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory in over three hours.
Rosol led 2-1 in sets, but Wawrinka evened the match by taking the fourth 6-3. Wawrinka hasn’t played his best tennis this season, although he did recently win the title in Geneva, which should have given him a small boost of confidence.
Cilic is the highest-ranked player in the men’s draw to be out of the second grand slam of the year after Argentine Trungelliti beat the 10th seed 7-6 (7-4) 3-6 6-4 6-2 on Court 2. Their match didn’t finish, though, suspended until today because of darkness. He will be up against another Frenchman, Stephane Robert, in the second round.
Asked if he was aware of the unwanted history he might have made, Wawrinka said: “No”.
There should be time for Japanese fifth seed Kei Nishikori to complete his match with Italy’s Simone Bolelli. Nishikori, the 2014 US Open runner-up, goes on to face former world number seven Fernando Verdasco of Spain.
There was also a win Monday for Croatia’s Mirjana Lucic Baroni who first played the main draw in Paris in 1999.
Had he lost, it would have been the worst title defence by any man at Roland Garros since 2003 champion Juan Carlos Ferrero lost to Igor Andreev in the next year’s second round.
Russia’s Svetlana Kuznetsova, the 2009 champion, resumes against Yaroslava Shvedova of Kazakhstan 4-6, 6-1, 3-1. Kvitova, who reached the semifinals at Roland Garros in 2012, looked more comfortable than in her first-round match.
“I’ve been there before but this time it’s just kind of different. I’m healthy, and that’s important”.
Tightened security measures at the French Open, with multiple pat-downs and bag checks, are making getting into Roland Garros a bit of a chore.
Security has also been stepped up for soccer’s European Championship in 10 French cities starting next month.
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That figure, just a shade under 40 percent of the 128-man field, easily eclipses the previous high of 41 from this year’s Australian Open and could have been higher if not for the withdrawal of 17-time Grand Slam victor Roger Federer. “And the roof is actually the last piece of that puzzle”, said Forget, explaining that Court Philippe Chatrier would need a restructuring to be able to support the weight of a roof.
