French Open 2015: Tuesday Results, Highlights, Scores, Recap from Roland Garros
First-round play at the 2015 French Open continued Tuesday at Roland Garros in Paris, and while many of the top stars in action managed to advance, there were a few surprises along the way as well.
King of clay Rafael Nadal had no issue passing his first-round test, while No. 1 men's player Novak Djokovic cruised as well. Top-seeded women's player Serena Williams didn't face much of a challenge either in her first victory of the tournament.
The same cannot be said for top-10 players Eugenie Bouchard and Grigor Dimitrov as they were both unexpectedly ousted in straight sets and sent packing far earlier than most predicted.
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On the heels of yet another entertaining day of tennis in France, here is a full rundown of the results and top storylines from Tuesday at Roland Garros.
Men's Singles Results
| 1 | Andrea Arnaboldi | James Duckworth | 4-6, 6-7(5), 7-6(4), 7-6(2), 6-0 |
| 1 | Jeremy Chardy | Michael Berrer | 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 |
| 1 | Carlos Berlocq | Illya Marchenko | 4-6, 3-6, 6-3, 7-5, 6-2 |
| 1 | No. 16 John Isner | Andreas Seppi | 7-5, 6-2, 6-3 |
| 1 | No. 15 Kevin Anderson | Tim Smyczek | 6-4, 6-4, 6-2 |
| 1 | Nicolas Almagro | Alexandr Dolgopolov | 6-3, 2-6, 6-4, 7-6(6) |
| 1 | No. 6 Rafael Nadal | Quentin Halys | 6-3, 6-3, 6-4 |
| 1 | No. 1 Novak Djokovic | Jarkko Nieminen | 6-2, 7-5, 6-2 |
| 1 | No. 20 Richard Gasquet | Germain Gigounon | 6-3, 6-4, 6-0 |
| 1 | Daniel Gimeno-Traver | Joao Souza | 7-6(5), 6-4, 6-4 |
| 1 | Lu Yen-hsun | Blaz Kavcic | 6-7(4), 6-1, 6-1, 7-5 |
| 1 | No. 9 Marin Cilic | Robin Haase | 6-2, 6-4, 6-2 |
| 1 | Joao Sousa | Vasek Pospisil | 6-3, 7-6(5), 6-1 |
| 1 | No. 23 Leonardo Mayer | Jiri Vesely | 3-6, 7-6(6), 6-3, 5-7, 6-2 |
| 1 | Jerzy Janowicz | Maxime Hamou | 6-7(4), 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 |
| 1 | No. 7 David Ferrer | Lukas Lacko | 6-1, 6-3, 6-1 |
| 1 | Pablo Carreno Busta | Victor Estrella Burgos | 6-3, 6-1, 6-0 |
| 1 | Jack Sock | No. 10 Grigor Dimitrov | 7-6(7), 6-2, 6-3 |
Women's Singles Results
| 1 | No. 10 Andrea Petkovic | Shelby Rogers | 6-2, 6-1 |
| 1 | No. 32 Zarina Diyas | Dinah Pfizenmaier | 6-4, 6-1 |
| 1 | Alison van Uytvanck | Anna Schmiedlova | 7-6(4), 7-6(7) |
| 1 | No. 23 Timea Bacsinszky | Lara Arruabarrena-Vecino | 6-3, 6-4 |
| 1 | Silvia Soler Espinosa | Pauline Parmentier | 6-4, 6-3 |
| 1 | No. 16 Madison Keys | Varvara Lepchenko | 7-6(3), 6-3 |
| 1 | Sesil Karatantcheva | No. 25 Jelena Jankovic | 6-3, 6-4 |
| 1 | Irina Falconi | Manon Arcangioli | 6-2, 6-0 |
| 1 | Francesca Schiavone | Wang Qiang | 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 |
| 1 | No. 1 Serena Williams | Andrea Hlavackova | 6-2, 6-3 |
| 1 | No. 5 Carolina Wozniacki | Karin Knapp | 6-3, 6-0 |
| 1 | Kristina Mladenovic | No. 6 Eugenie Bouchard | 6-4, 6-4 |
| 1 | Julia Goerges | Coco Vandeweghe | 6-2, 5-7, 6-1 |
| 1 | No. 18 Svetlana Kuznetsova | Kiki Bertens | 6-1, 4-6, 6-2 |
| 1 | Tereza Smitkova | Taylor Townsend | 6-3, 6-4 |
| 1 | No. 4 Petra Kvitova | Marina Erakovic | 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 |
| 1 | Anna-Lena Friedsam | Alexa Glatch | 6-2, 4-6, 6-4 |
| 1 | Danka Kovinic | Klara Koukalova | 6-3, 7-6(4) |
| 1 | Lourdes Dominguez Lino | Christina McHale | 3-6, 7-6(4), 6-4 |
| 1 | Belinda Bencic | Daniela Hantuchova | 6-3, 6-3 |
Recapping Biggest Storylines
Nadal, Djokovic and Serena Advance Easily
Fans packed Court Philippe Chatrier throughout the day in the hopes of seeing the likes of Nadal, Djokovic and Serena put on vintage performances. They weren't disappointed, as all three proved why they are considered top contenders to win the French Open.
Rafa has won five French Open titles in a row and nine overall, and his march toward a 10th started off well, as he breezed past Quentin Halys of France, 6-3, 6-3, 6-4. The Spaniard has long been dominant at Roland Garros, and he added another straight-sets win to his already impressive first-round record, according to ESPN Stats & Info:
Nadal had plenty of question marks surrounding him entering the French Open, as he has struggled to find consistency in 2015. He is only a No. 6 seed, which is unheard of for him at Roland Garros. He looked very much like his dominant self Tuesday, though, so perhaps he will be able to put his recent issues behind him.
If Nadal isn't the favorite to win this year's French Open, then Djokovic undoubtedly is. He has been the dominant player in men's tennis over the past year, in particular, and Jarkko Nieminen was no match for him.
Djoker took the fight to his Finnish opponent and came away with a 6-2, 7-5, 6-2 triumph. After the contest, the Serbian superstar was quite pleased with the way he performed, per Roland Garros on Twitter:
Djokovic and Nadal are on a collision course for a quarterfinal matchup, which isn't especially fair for either player, but based on how they played Tuesday, there is little doubt that it will be a fantastic match, provided it happens.
On the women's side, Serena began her hunt for a third career French Open title by taking down Andrea Hlavackova of the Czech Republic 6-2, 6-3 in straight sets.
Williams was never truly challenged by her overmatched opponent, and she furthered her reputation of being nearly unbeatable in the first round of Grand Slams, according to ESPN Tennis:
"19-time Major champion Serena Williams moves to 58-1 in Grand Slam first rounds with 62 63 win over Hlavackova #RG15 pic.twitter.com/PgX1q5I4VI
— ESPNTennis (@ESPNTennis) May 26, 2015"
She struggled uncharacteristically in major tournaments last year as she won just a single Grand Slam, but after taking the 2015 Australian Open and winning convincingly Tuesday, it is tough to envision a similar fate this year.
Williams is the player to beat in the women's draw each and every time she steps onto the court, and if her first-round showing is any indication, then a second French Open title in three years is there for the taking.
Eugenie Bouchard Upset by French Underdog
Bouchard is one of the hottest commodities in women's tennis due to her skills and success at such a young age, but none of that helped her Tuesday, as she was shocked by France's Kristina Mladenovic 6-4, 6-4 in the first round.
The 21-year-old Canadian reached the semifinals or better in three Grand Slams last season, including the French Open. She couldn't get anything going on this occasion, though, which allowed Mladenovic to advance in front of her French supporters.
While it was a huge win for the 22-year-old underdog, it has become a common occurrence for her at the French Open, as she did something similar to Li Na last year, according to Roland Garros on Twitter:
There is no doubt that Mladenovic played well, but she was certainly aided by Bouchard's recent drop in form as well.
Per Christopher Clarey of the New York Times, Bouchard simply couldn't find a way to win matches leading up to her defeat:
As pointed out by Damien Cox of Sportsnet, Bouchard's on-court issues have existed since after Wimbledon last year:
That is something Bouchard acknowledged by admitting that she doesn't feel like the same player who performed so confidently for much of 2014, according to Nick McCarvel of USA Today:
Even though Bouchard hasn't been at her best, Tuesday's first-round loss was a major disappointment considering how well she played on the big stage last year.
Mladenovic is a tall, powerful player who hasn't been able to put it all together and make a deep run at a Grand Slam yet, but after defeating such a highly touted star, perhaps the 2015 French Open will be her breakthrough tournament.
American Jack Sock Knocks Off Grigor Dimitrov
Many view Bulgaria's Dimitrov as the next big thing in men's tennis, but the No. 10-seeded player looked ordinary at best in his first-round match as he lost 7-6(9-7), 6-2, 6-3 to American Jack Sock.
The 24-year-old Dimitrov turned some heads last year when he reached the semifinals at Wimbledon. That occurred after a first-round ouster at Roland Garros, and he once again fell into that trap in 2015.
Sock has been on the rise, especially as a clay-court player. He reached the third round of the French Open last year, and he has a clay-court title to his credit this season. According to Matt Cronin of USTA.com, the 22-year-old from Lincoln, Nebraska, is making huge strides:
ESPN tennis analyst Brad Gilbert agrees, as he was thoroughly impressed by Sock's ability to beat such a talented player in straight sets:
Although Sock has shown some flashes of brilliance over the course of his young career, Ben Rothenberg of the New York Times definitively believes his win over Dimitrov is his most impressive accomplishment yet:
American men have struggled mightily on clay in recent years, but Sock may be the guy who can reverse that trend. His mix of power and fluid movement plays well on the red stuff, and it wouldn't be shocking if he manages to make a deep run.
Beating a player of Dimitrov's caliber will give him the confidence he needs to reach the next level, and he suddenly looks like a very dangerous competitor in his section of the draw.
Follow @MikeChiari on Twitter.
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