Red-Hot Rune & Medvedev In First-Round Action, Zverev Makes Roland Garros Return

The first round reaches its climax on Tuesday at Roland Garros, where second seed Daniil Medvedev, the in-form Holger Rune and 2022 semi-finalist Alexander Zverev all begin their campaigns in the singles draw at the clay-court major.

ATPTour.com breaks down some of the standout matches on the Day 3 schedule in Paris.

[6] Holger Rune (DEN) vs. Christopher Eubanks (USA)

Holger Rune announced himself on the Grand Slam stage last year at Roland Garros, where the then-19-year-old took out Denis Shapovalov and Stefanos Tsitsipas en route to the quarter-finals on event debut. Rune returns as the sixth seed, a four-time ATP Tour champion, and one of the in-form players on the ATP Tour.

A 13-3 record across the European clay season suggests the Dane is primed for another deep Roland Garros run, but he faces an unfamiliar challenge first up in Christopher Eubanks. It will be Rune’s maiden ATP Head2Head meeting with the American, who will step on Court Simonne-Mathieu at a career-high No. 74 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings.

Rune will hope his ability to power his groundstrokes through the Parisian clay can hurry Eubanks, who is making his main draw debut at Roland Garros. The Dane possesses an all-around game that has helped him notch victories against Medvedev, Jannik Sinner, Novak Djokovic and Ruud so far this clay season.

[2] Daniil Medvedev vs. [Q] Thiago Seyboth Wild (BRA)

Medvedev arrived in Paris seemingly better-placed to forge a deep run at the clay-court major than ever before. The second seed has racked up a 10-2 record on the European clay across April and May, a run that culminated with his maiden tour-level title on the surface at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia in Rome.

The man charged with stopping Medvedev on Tuesday in Paris is the World No. 172 Thiago Seyboth Wild. The Brazilian battled through qualifying to reach the main draw at Roland Garros for the first time in four attempts, and he will have to hit his best level again if he is going to make an impact in just his second ATP Head2Head meeting with a Top 10 opponent.

Medvedev’s huge serve and relentless retrieving skills at the baseline shone throughout his Rome run. With a 2-4 record in first-round matches at Roland Garros, the 27-year-old will likely look to those strengths again to ward off a potential upset and kick-start his bid for a second major title.

[22] Alexander Zverev (GER) vs. Lloyd Harris (RSA)

Zverev returns to the Roland Garros clay for the first time since he rolled his ankle badly and was forced to retire from his 2022 semi-final against Rafael Nadal. The German has struggled to find his best level since returning to ATP Tour in January, but fourth-round runs at the ATP Masters 1000 events in Monte-Carlo, Madrid and Rome suggest the German is on his way back to form.

On Tuesday he meets another player settling back into match action after injury, Lloyd Harris. Like Zverev the 26-year-old did not compete post-Roland Garros last season, after undergoing wrist surgery. Harris has racked up a 10-5 record on the ATP Challenger Tour since his return at the start of the year, and the former World No. 31 will see the Zverev clash as a good measure of his post-injury progress.

Zverev leads 3-0 in the pair’s ATP Head2Head series, but the 22nd seed will need to be sharp on return to counter Harris’ booming serve as he looks to improve his 23-7 match record at Roland Garros.

[4] Casper Ruud (NOR) vs. [Q] E. Ymer (SWE)

Can Casper Ruud bring his best to Roland Garros? The 2022 finalist has had a modest season by his standards so far but will hope to improve his 13-5 record at the clay-court major when he takes on qualifier Elias Ymer on Court Suzanne-Lenglen. Paris could be the perfect setting for a maiden major title for Ruud, who holds fond memories of his charge to his maiden Grand Slam final in the French capital.

“It’s nice, being back here, [living] through the memories that I have from last year and the belief that I can do well here obviously grows when you have done it at least once before,” said Ruud in his pre-tournament press conference. “I’m hoping for a good run now in these two weeks.”

Also In Action…

Taylor Fritz is the other Top 10 star in action on Tuesday. The World No. 9 takes on fellow American Michael Mmoh as he chases a second-round spot for the fourth consecutive year. The 16th seed Tommy Paul, a semi-finalist at January’s Australian Open, meets 2022 Next Gen ATP Finals competitor Dominic Stricker.

The 28th seed Grigor Dimitrov faces qualifier Timofey Skatov, while home favourites in action include Gael Monfils, who meets Sebastian Baez. Richard Gasquet and Arthur Rinderknech also clash in an all-French affair.