- PARIS — On a day when most top seeds were expected to cruise through their
opening matches, Germany’s Daniel Altmaier lit up Roland Garros with the first
major upset of the tournament.
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- The World No. 66 delivered a composed and powerful performance
to knock out fourth seed Taylor Fritz in four sets—7-5, 3-6, 6-3, 6-1—sending
shockwaves through the men’s draw.
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- Altmaier, known for his grit and clay-court craft, played
fearless tennis throughout the two-hour, 41-minute encounter, blunting Fritz’s
big-hitting game with a mix of aggression, control, and tactical intelligence.
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- His 44 winners were a testament to that approach, many of
them coming from deep, heavy forehands that pinned the American behind the
baseline.
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- “It was very special,” Altmaier said after the match.
“I’ve been working really hard these past weeks to gain confidence and prepare
for matches like this. I feel like I’m ready to face anyone.”
Also read: French Open: Sabalenka starts with an easy win; Oly champ Zheng Qinwen advances
- The 26-year-old German had shown his potential on the
Paris clay before, reaching the fourth round in 2020.
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- Monday’s win marked his third career Top-10 victory at
Roland Garros—after defeating Matteo Berrettini in 2020 and Jannik Sinner in
2023—and his fifth overall against Top-10 opposition.
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- Perhaps the most telling aspect of the match was Altmaier’s
dominance in the fourth set, where he raced ahead with two breaks of serve. One
particularly stunning rally ended with an inside-out forehand winner that left
Fritz stranded and the crowd on their feet.
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- “The sacrifices every tennis player makes are
unbelievable,” he said. “I have a long-term vision and I definitely want to
achieve something big in this sport. That’s why I have to win matches like
this.”
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- For Fritz, the loss was a significant blow. It marked
only his second first-round exit at a Grand Slam since the 2019 US Open and his
first at Roland Garros since 2018. The American had made history at the 2024 US
Open by becoming the first American man since Andy Roddick in 2006 to reach the
final of a major.
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- Elsewhere on Day 2 of the tournament, Stefanos Tsitsipas
got his campaign off to a smooth start, defeating Tomas Martin Etcheverry 7-5,
6-3, 6-4. The former French Open finalist notched his eighth consecutive
first-round win at Roland Garros and will next face Italian qualifier Matteo
Gigante. A potential third-round clash with 13th seed Ben Shelton looms.
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- French Open:
Inspired by Rafa’s presence, Swiatek begins defence with gritty win
The defending French Open champion Iga Swiatek kicked off her 2025 campaign
with a hard-fought 6-3, 6-3 victory over Slovakia’s Rebecca Sramkova, extending
her stunning unbeaten run at Roland Garros to 22 matches. -
- Rafael Nadal may not be swinging his racket this year at
Roland Garros, but his presence at Court Philippe Chatrier continues to inspire
greatness.
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- While the result may appear routine on paper, it came on
the back of a period of uncharacteristic struggle for the Polish star — and in
her own words, the mere sight of Nadal during Sunday’s tribute ceremony helped
her rediscover some of that lost fire.
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- “Even when he’s not playing, just him being here
yesterday inspired me a lot,” Swiatek said after the match. “Thanks, Rafa.”
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- Swiatek, who is aiming for her fifth French Open crown in
just six years, entered the tournament ranked fifth in the world — her lowest
position since 2020. It’s also the first time in five years that she arrived in
Paris without winning a WTA title in the season’s opening five months.
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- Yet as she stood on the same clay where Nadal built his
empire, Swiatek found more than just her rhythm. She found motivation.
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- “I knew the cameras were on Carlos [Alcaraz] behind me so
I needed to be brave, but seeing Rafa crying makes me more emotional,” she
reflected on the ceremony. “It’s great the tennis world could show their
appreciation. He is a huge inspiration.”
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- Against world number 42 Sramkova, Swiatek was pushed
early. Her signature fast start didn’t come as easily this time. She had to dig
deep to hold her opening service game and didn’t fully settle until stringing
together the final three games of the first set.
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- Even then, Sramkova landed a blow, breaking the
three-time champion to begin the second set. But Swiatek responded in kind —
levelling at 3-3 before breaking again and reeling off three straight games to
wrap up the match in one hour and 35 minutes.
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- The win sets up a second-round showdown against Britain’s
Emma Raducanu, who also came through a gruelling three-set battle earlier in
the day.
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- Swiatek has often cited Nadal as her clay-court hero, and
Monday’s performance bore the hallmarks of his influence — resilience,
patience, and intensity in the face of early adversity.
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- She even shared a personal moment from Roland Garros
2021, the year Nadal lost to Novak Djokovic in the semi-final and Swiatek fell
in the quarters. “I was devastated that he lost, and the next day, he was just
sitting there after breakfast or something, and I asked him how does he feel?”
she recalled. “He was chill. He was like, ‘Oh, it’s just a tennis match. I’ll
get many more chances.’ I was like, what? Why am I crying if he’s not crying?”
