LIVE – Roland-Garros: Ons Jabeur, world number 6 and main outsider, eliminated from the start


After qualifying events, the Roland-Garros tournament officially begins this Sunday, May 22. For this first day, Alexander Zverev, Carlos Alcaraz, Félix Auger-Aliassime, Ons Jabeur and Garbine Muguruza will be at work.

Ons Jabeur, world N.6 and main outsider, eliminated from entry

First day and first surprise at Roland-Garros: the Tunisian Ons Jabeur, world No.6 and main outsider for the title, was eliminated in the first round of Roland-Garros by the Polish Magda Linette (52nd) 3-6, 7 -6 (7/4), 7-5 Sunday.

Jabeur arrived in Paris with a title in Madrid, the most prestigious of his career, and a final in Rome, as well as his best ranking. The 27-year-old Tunisian also presents herself as the player who has won the most clay court wins (17 for 3 losses) this season.

Thiem falls from the entrance, again

Dominic Thiem, double finalist at Roland-Garros, lost there on Sunday against the Bolivian Hugo Dellien (87th), in three sets, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4, while he is struggling to come back after his long right wrist injury.

The 28-year-old Austrian, ex-world No.3 now 194th, has not won a single match on the circuit since his elimination in the round of 16 in Rome in May 2021. Victim of wrist pain, he had ended his season after his entry elimination at the Mallorca ATP 250 in June.

Back this year in March at the Marbella Challenger, he has yet to pass a single lap in six tournaments.

At Roland-Garros, where he had been beaten in the final by Rafael Nadal in 2018 and 2019, he was this time taken by the throat at the start by Dellien who broke in the first set to lead 3-1 and keep its advantage.

In the next two sets, the Bolivian immediately took his opponent’s service to break away 2-0 and thus win without shaking. Thiem managed 29 winning shots (against 15 for Delien), but he committed too many unforced errors to hope to destabilize his opponent (42 against 14).

Dellien will face in the second round the Russian Karen Khachanov (24th) or the Portuguese Nuno Borges (126th and from the qualifications). Dellien has yet to reach the 3rd round of the Major on clay.

Grégoire Barrère, first Frenchman qualified for the 2nd round

Grégoire Barrère, 209th in the world and guest, qualified for the second round of Roland-Garros on Sunday by defeating the Japanese Taro Daniel (105th) 3-6, 6-2, 0-6, 6-3, 6- 4 after a funny match of 3h14.

After the eliminations of Harmony Tan and Carole Monnet in the women’s draw, he is the first Tricolore to pass the 1st round. Three other Blues enter the fray on Sunday: Clara Burel against Maria Sakkari, Kristina Mladenovic against Leylah Fernandez, as well as Quentin Halys against John Isner.

At the age of 28, Barrère is playing the main draw of the only Major on clay for the 6th time. He had so far only reached the second round once, in 2019, when he lost to Russian Aslan Karatsev.

This time, he will face to try to climb to the 3rd round Halys (86th) or Isner (26th), the great American server.

On Sunday, in turn, Daniel and Barrère each -clearly- dominated a round, until they reached the fifth set.

On the semi-buried court N.14, supported by crowded bleachers, the Frenchman managed the decisive break quickly enough to lead 2-1 in the decisive set. A few minutes later, he dropped his racquet of happiness before going to greet his opponent of the day.

Barrère has also already reached, but without exceeding it, the 2nd round in the other three Grand Slam tournaments: at Wimbledon in 2019, at the US Open in 2019 and 2020, at the Australian Open in 2020.





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