French Open 2025 Kicks Off With Statement Wins From Top Seeds
The first day of the French Open 2025 wasn’t short on spectacle or surprises, with big names stamping their authority and a few seeded hopefuls pushed right to the edge on the Parisian clay. World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka wasted no time sending a message to the rest of the women's field. She bulldozed Kamilla Rakhimova 6-1, 6-0 in just 62 minutes, barely giving her opponent a chance to catch her breath. Sabalenka’s mix of blistering groundstrokes and pinpoint serving had Rakhimova scrambling from the very first point, setting a high bar for the rest of the draw.
On the men’s side, two Americans drew plenty of attention—and nerves. Tommy Paul, seeded 12th, didn’t get the easy opener he might have expected. Elmer Møller, ranked much lower, forced Paul to dig deep. After dropping the opening set in a tense tiebreak, Paul regrouped and found his rhythm in the second, ultimately running away with the match 6-7(5), 6-2, 6-3, 6-1. You could sense the relief in Paul’s game as he shook off early errors and turned on his trademark forehand aggression.
Meanwhile, Ben Shelton (seeded 13th) battled through his own rollercoaster of a first-round match against Italy’s Lorenzo Sonego. Shelton looked strong early but lost momentum in the middle, dropping the second and third sets. Down but never out, he fought back hard to close it out 6-4, 4-6, 3-6, 6-2. Shelton’s serve, one of the most powerful on tour, bailed him out of some tight spots and allowed him to reset when things got tense.
Musetti and Paolini Shine: Big Names Breeze Through
Lorenzo Musetti, the rising Italian seeded No. 8, made his own statement by sweeping past Yannick Hanfmann in straight sets: 7-5, 6-2, 6-0. Musetti’s slick movement and uncanny touch at the net were on full display, especially in the final set, where he barely dropped a point. His serve, which has been a work in progress over the past season, proved crucial in keeping Hanfmann at bay and dictating the rallies from start to finish.
Not to be left out, last year’s finalist Jasmine Paolini also found her way into Round 2. Paolini started strong but hit a rough patch in the second set before steadying herself to close out her opening match. Navigating those nerves and mid-match stumbles has become something of a trademark for Paolini in recent slams, and she looked relieved as she booked her place in the next round.
The mix of outright dominance and heart-stopping escapes set the tone at Roland-Garros, where form can vanish as quickly as the Parisian sun. Ranked stars have made their intentions clear, but Day One also showed the margins are razor-thin. If this opening act is any sign, fans can expect more fireworks in the days ahead.
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