French Open 2023 Results: Instant Reactions to Winners and Losers from Wednesday
Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic and Aryna Sabalenka headlined the list of stars competing in the second round of the 2023 French Open on Wednesday in Paris.
Djokovic was afforded prime-time placement on Court Philippe-Chatrier in the French capital against Marton Fucsovics. He claimed all four of the previous head-to-head meetings between the two.
Alcaraz was drawn against Taro Daniel, while Sabalenka took on countrywoman Iryna Shymanovich.
Here's an overview of how the day unfolded.
Wednesday Results
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Men's Singles
No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz def. Taro Daniel, 6-1, 3-6, 6-1, 6-2
No. 3 Novak Djokovic def. Marton Fucsovics, 7-6(2), 6-0, 6-3
No. 5 Stefanos Tsitsipas def. Roberto Carballes Baena, 6-3, 7-6(4), 6-2
No. 7 Andrey Rublev def. Corentin Moutet, 6-4, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3
No. 11 Karen Khachanov def. Radu Albot, 6-3, 6-4, 6-2
No. 13 Hubert Hurkacz def. Tallon Griekspoor, 6-3, 5-7, 6-7(13), 7-6(5), 6-4
No. 14 Cameron Norrie def. Lucas Pouille, 6-1, 6-3, 6-3
No. 17 Lorenzo Musetti def. Lorenzo Musetti, 6-1, 6-1, 6-2
Juan Pablo Varillas def. No. 19 Roberto Bautista Agut, 1-6, 4-6, 6-3, 6-1, 6-1
Sebastian Ofner def. No. 24 Sebastian Korda, 6-3, 7-6(1), 6-4
No. 26 Denis Shapovalov def. Matteo Arnaldi, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3, 6-3
No. 29 Alejandro Davidovich Fokina def. Luca Van Assche, 6-4, 6-3, 7-6(6)
Fabio Fognini def. Jason Kubler, 6-4, 7-6(5), 6-2
Diego Schwartzman def. Nuno Borges, 7-6(3), 6-4, 6-3
Lorenzo Sonego def. Ugo Humbert, 6-4, 6-3, 7-6(3)
Thanasi Kokkinakis def. Stan Wawrinka, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3, 6-7(4), 6-3
Women's Singles
No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka def. Iryna Shymanovich, 7-5, 6-2
No. 3 Jessica Pegula def. Camila Giorgi, 6-2 (ret.)
Anna Blinkova def. No. 5 Caroline Garcia, 4-6, 6-3, 7-5
No. 9 Daria Kasatkina def. Marketa Vondrousova, 6-3, 6-4
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova def. No. 15 Liudmila Samsonova, 4-6, 7-5, 7-5
Peyton Stearns def. No. 17 Jelena Ostapenko, 6-3, 1-6, 6-2
Yulia Putintseva def. No. 19 Qinwen Zheng, 6-3, 4-6, 6-2
No. 24 Anastasia Potapova def. Mayar Sherif, 3-6, 6-4, 6-1
No. 27 Irina-Camelia Begu def. Sara Errani, 6-3 6-0
Elise Mertens def. Camila Osorio, 6-3, 7-6(3)
Elina Svitolina def. Storm Hunter, 2-6, 6-3, 6-1
Karolina Muchova def. Nadia Podoroska, 6-3, 0-6, 6-3
Sloane Stephens def. Varvara Gracheva, 6-2, 6-1
Clara Tauson def. Leylah Fernandez, 6-3, 5-7, 6-4
Kamilla Rakhimova def. Magdalena Frech 6-3, 6-4
Elina Avanesyan def. Leolia Jeanjean 6-0, 7-5
Alcaraz Earns Straightforward 2nd-Round Win
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The men's singles draw is already opening up a bit with Daniil Medvedev getting ousted in the first round Tuesday. Seeing the second-seeded Russian go down might have guaranteed Alcaraz wouldn't experience any loss of focus against Daniel on Wednesday.
The 2022 U.S. Open champion was a clear level or two above Daniel despite not being at his sharpest. He had 47 winners to 36 unforced errors over four sets.
When Alcaraz rode two service breaks to a 6-1 first set, it looked like the No. 1 seed was in for another easy day after barely breaking a sweat against Flavio Cobolli in the opening round.
Daniel fought back in the second, though, earning a break and jumping ahead 4-1. He also saved a break point to maintain his advantage en route to leveling the match up.
The momentum the 30-year-old built with that success quickly dissipated as Alcaraz took the first five games of the third set. The fourth set told a similar story as he overwhelmed his opponent.
"Taro was playing great," he said after winning his 22nd match on clay this season. "He is a really tough player and this year he has won matches against great players. The conditions were tough and it was really, really tough, but you have to adjust your game as best as you can. I was really focused on every shot. I played a great level and happy with the win."
Sabalenka Sweeps Shymanovich Aside After Close 1st Set
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Sabalenka was briefly in the driver's seat in the first set after a service break put her up 4-2. Shymanovich responded in kind by breaking back in the next game in the back-and-forth set.
The breakthrough came when Shymanovich was serving to stay alive at 5-6. The game lasted a little more than 12 minutes and needed 19 points before the Australian Open champion secured the game and the set.
It was much easier from there as she broke Shymanovich three times in the second set. She won 83 percent of her first-service points and hit 12 winners across the eight games.
Sabalenka is now into the third round of the French Open for the fourth straight year. She'll hope history doesn't repeat itself since she has yet to advance past that stage at Roland Garros.
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Pegula Headlines Strong Day for US Women
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Pegula had an easy day's work against Camila Giorgi. She overpowered the Italian in the first set, jumping ahead 6-2, before Giorgi bowed out due to an injury.
Pegula's 12 winners were more than double Giorgi's total (five), and she won 11 of 12 first-service points. Had Giorgi stayed on for the second set, she would've struggled to avoid a one-sided loss anyway.
Elsewhere in the second round, Peyton Stearns upset 17th-seeded Jelena Ostapenko.
After she dropped the first set, it looked like Ostapenko righted the ship by claiming the second set 6-1. One service break was enough to do her in in the final frame, though. Serving at 15-40, she was unable to chase down a winner by Stearns that gave the American a sizable 4-1 lead.
The 21-year-old held on her next two service games to secure the upset.
"I really couldn't think about who I was playing, where I was playing," Stearns said in a post-match interview. "The nerves crept in in the second set; I was able to rebound, luckily, for the third. I got my mind right, and I'm super happy with myself and my team right now."
Sloane Stephens cruised past Varvara Gracheva in straight sets, making a perfect 3-for-3 for the United States in the women's singles draw.
Slow and steady won the day for Stephens. She had one fewer winner (15) than Gracheva (16), but Gracheva's 30 unforced errors spelled doom and helped to account for the lopsided final score.
Djokovic Prevails in Straight Sets
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The two-time French Open champion had his hands full in the first set against Fucsovics. He went ahead 5-2 before the Hungarian battled back and evened the score.
With Djokovic staring at a set point, Fucsovics also hit a winner when serving at 30-40 and trailing 5-6. He eventually held to force the tiebreaker.
Djokovic sailed through the extra game, which foreshadowed how the remainder of the match would unfold. The No. 3 seed shut Fucsovics out in the second set and avoided any critical errors in the third.
In the end, Djokovic overcame the fact he won just 62 percent of his first-service points and had 32 unforced errors. This was yet another occasion in which the 22-time major winner failed to hit top gear to save his best for later in the tournament.
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