French Open Day 2 Men’s Recap: Sinner, Alcaraz Begin Campaigns, Fritz Falls

It was Day 2 debut time at the 2025 French Open for some of the biggest stars in men’s tennis: Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, Holger Rune, and Stefanos Tsitsipas were among them. While most of the big names fared well, some big names, such as Taylor Fritz, were upset. LWOS recaps some of the big storylines and matches from Monday’s action, with the first round to be concluded on Tuesday.

French Open Day 2 Men’s Recap

Who Looked Good

World No. 1 Jannik Sinner faced an early deficit in the third set of his opening-round win, but it never seemed like the Italian would go down. He defeated Arthur Rinderknech 6-3 6-4 7-5, recovering from 4-0 down in the third set, and overcoming a rowdy primetime crowd. Sinner will look to improve on his semifinal appearance from last year’s French Open.

Sinner’s main rival, Carlos Alcaraz, cruised to victory in just under two hours. The Spaniard saved all three break points that he faced in a 6-3 6-4 6-2 win over qualifier Giulio Zeppieri. Alcaraz is coming off ATP 1000 titles in Monte Carlo and Rome this season, only losing one match on clay courts in 2025.

Stefanos Tsitsipas, the 20th seed, is ranked as low as he’s been for quite some time, but he looked strong in what was a tough first-round matchup for him. In a straight sets win over Tomás Martín Etcheverry, he was particularly strong off his serve–the Greek won 77% of first serve points and 68% of second serve points.

Casper Ruud will look to reclaim his spot in the finals of the French Open, and the 2022 and 2023 finalist looked strong in a 6-3 6-4 6-2 win over Albert Ramos-Viñolas, a quarterfinalist from the 2016 edition of the tournament. Ruud dropped out of the Top 10 earlier in 2025, but a Madrid title has helped him regain confidence.

In his final tournament, Frenchman Richard Gasquet also impressed on court with a four-set win over compatriot Terence Atmane. He’ll look to shock the world when he faces Sinner in the next round.

Who Looked Bad

It was a brutal day at the office for World No. 4 Taylor Fritz, who hasn’t been able to play his best tennis in 2025. Fritz was left on the back foot in a four-set loss to Daniel Altmaier, allowing the German to achieve an impressive third Top 10 win at the French Open alone. Fritz said he was playing “horrendous tennis on a lot of the important points” after the match.

Francisco Cerundolo, the 18th seed, was stunned by Canadian Gabriel Diallo, who is inching closer to the world’s Top 50. Cerundolo nearly stunned Novak Djokovic at the 2024 French Open in the fourth round, but the Argentine was rattled from the start of the match to the finish; he hit 34 unforced errors to 22 winners, and couldn’t dictate the contest with his thundering forehand.

No other seeds fell on Day 2, as seeds compiled a 12-2 record on Monday. While it was to be expected from a 40-year-old, it was a bit dissapointing to see the 2015 French Open champion Stan Wawrinka falter early. Against the young Brit Jacob Fearnley, Wawrinka fell 7-6 (6) 6-3 6-2, after nearing some opportunities to snatch the first set.

Match of the Day

Despite the overwhelming amount of matches, there weren’t too many epic five-setters and dramatic finishes. Three matches went into a fifth set, with perhaps the best one taking place on one of the outer courts.

Alejandro Tabilo took out the young home favorite Arthur Cazaux 5-7 6-3 6-2 1-6 6-3, overcoming the tough French crowd. The match wasn’t of the highest quality, with Cazaux hitting 53 winners to a costly 64 unforced errors. Tabilo fared worse, hitting only 33 winners and 51 unforced errors. But the Frenchman excited fans by dictating play with his aggression, and Tabilo had to fight through a physical, nearly four-hour match. Tabilo even spent time complaining and speaking to French fans who rattled him early in the match.

Tabilo has experience on clay, and he’s taken out big names such as Novak Djokovic in the past on the dirt. He also reached the Top 20 late in 2024. Now ranked 61st in the world, Tabilo will face the 25th seed Alexei Popyrin in the second round.