Rafael Nadal, thirteen times victorious at Roland Garros, succeeded in entering the running on Tuesday by dominating the Australian Alexeï Popyrin (63e) in 2:23 and in three sets, 6-3, 6-2, 7-6 (7/3). “It was a very difficult game, against a very good player, nevertheless explained the Spaniard. The start of the match was very hard, he was putting bombs everywhere. The speed of his ball is incredible, with each strike he tries to make it move as fast as possible. “
Alexeï Popyrin especially hung his opponent in the third set, obtaining a first break point at 2-1, without being able to transform it. Then he got two at 3-2 and this time he converted the second to break away 4-2 and 5-2, confirming his face-off. He then got two balls of set to 5-3 on his serve. But he forced his game, his strikes and ultimately lost not only his two chances, but also his serve game.
Popyrin then found himself again under enormous pressure from the Spaniard, who obtained four break points at 5-5. But the Australian did not crack and forced Nadal to serve to push the set in the decisive game. What he did. The tie break was a one-way street.
In the next round, Rafael Nadal will face Frenchman Richard Gasquet (53e).
The world number 7, Andrey Rublev, was eliminated in the first round by the German Jan-Lennard Struff (6-3, 7-6 [6], 4-6, 3-6, 6-4). After being led by two sets to nothing, the Russian, who appeared to be a possible outsider in the tournament, came back to equality before giving in to 42e world player (6-3, 7-6 [6], 4-6, 3-6, 6-4).
And for her last Roland-Garros, Carla Suarez will only have held one round. Despite great resistance, the Spaniard, back to competition after beating cancer, was eliminated by the American Sloane Stephens (59e), 3-6, 7-6 (7/4) 6-4. Former world number six, dropped to 118e place, however, will have taken advantage of the many unforced errors (54) of the American to pocket the first set, before serving to win the match in the second set at 5-4.
But Suarez ended up giving in the last set against Stephens, former finalist in Paris and winner of the US Open 2017. His farewell to Roland-Garros, thirteen years after his first appearance, was therefore done in the anonymity of the Parisian night on a Simonne-Mathieu court deprived of the public due to a curfew. She will nevertheless have left the court under the applause of her opponent and the few people still present. Sloane Stephens continues on her way to Roland-Garros. In the next round, she will face seeded Karolina Pliskova.
