The world number one beats the Frenchman Clement Tabur in three sets. Diallo forced to retire due to heat stroke, even a ball girl feels ill from the scorching sun
The 36 degrees in Paris at the end of May are almost incredible to believe, yet a heat wave never seen before in these parts hit the Parisian capital and the most important clay court tournament in the world. It’s very hard even for the spectators, the very elegant Borsalino straw hats aren’t enough to protect from the scorching sun, there are very few fans who last more than three or four games. Then they run outside where the showers made available to the public shoot particles of fresh water. A couple of minutes of refreshment and then the heat wins again. The prohibitive conditions have already caused the first problems. The Canadian Gabriel Diallo was forced to withdraw during the match against James Duckworth after accusing a strong heat stroke. An episode that further focused attention on conditions climatic where the matches are being played. The heat isn’t just affecting the players. During the challenge between Andrey Rublev and Peruvian Buse on Field 7, one ball boy she felt ill due to the high temperatures and the beating sun. The young woman stopped and she sat on the sidelinesimmediately attracting the attention of the chair umpire Eva Asderaki-Moore, that together with aattendant accompanied her off the pitch between the applause of the public. The match then resumed after a few minutes of suspension.
Sinner in the night
Luckily Jannik Sinner took to the pitch when the temperature had dropped a bit and the sun was already setting. The world number one made his comfortable debut at Roland Garros, beating in three sets (6-1, 6-3, 6-4) Clement TaburFrench wild card in 171st place in the rankings, honest Challenger frequenter and nothing more. Just over two hours of play and Sinner was in control from the start, when he immediately broke his opponent’s serve in the first game. Jannik appeared in good shape and very confident: Roland Garros is his number one goal for 2026 and the absence of his most formidable rival, the Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz, makes him the absolute favourite. Sinner is back from a two and a half month tour de force: he has been playing and winning continuously since March 7th, when he beat Svrcina in his Indian Wells debut, putting together a positive streak of 30 games and 5 consecutive titles. To accomplish the feat – annexing the only Major he is missing, becoming the seventh player in the Open era to complete the Career Grand Slam, after Laver, Agassi, Federer, Nadal, Djokovic and Alcaraz – it will be crucial to sip your energy, especially in the first week. Jannik will return to the field Thursday to face Juan Manuel Cerundolo, n. 56 ATP and younger brother of Francisco, who beat the British Fearnley on his debut with a score of 6-2 7-6 7-6: the only precedent, in 2023 at Wimbledon, won by Sinner in three sets.
