ATP Roland Garros: Coric, Wawrinka, Tsonga, Simon, Gasquet and Pella win
In the battle of the youngsters on Court 9, Christian Garin defeated Reilly Opelka 7-6, 7-5, 7-6 in two hours and 47 minutes for the first Grand Slam win. Opelka saved seven out of eight break points and had six opportunities on the return, failing to convert any and losing the edge in the pivotal moments to push the Chilean into the second round after a great battle from start to finish. Christian had 29 winners and 27 unforced errors while Reilly counted to 45 winners but only 61 mistakes, unable to match the rival's pace from the baseline and in the longer rallies. Garin saved three break points in the second game of the match to avoid an early setback, taking the tie break 7-0 for a massive boost before the rest of the encounter. They traded breaks in games seven and eight in set number two and breaking Opelka at 6-5 after a stunning defense to build a huge two sets to love lead.
The American repelled all seven break points in the third set to reach another tie break where he had a set point at 6-5. Garin saved it with a solid attack and converted the second match point at 8-7 with a forehand winner right after the serve to celebrate the first Grand Slam triumph in front of a partisan crowd that came to support him. Heading to Paris with only four matches in 2019, Richard Gasquet made the winning start, ousting the struggling German Mischa Zverev 6-3, 6-4, 6-3 in an hour and 39 minutes. Gasquet's 106th Grand Slam triumph came after losing serve only once, taking 45% of the return points and earning five breaks from 11 opportunities to control the scoreboard all the time and move over the top without spending too much time on the court.
Roberto Carballes Baena proved to be too strong for the French qualifier Alexandre Muller, delivering a 6-4, 6-4, 6-2 victory in an hour and 54 minutes, stealing half of the return points and taming his shots more efficiently to provide seven breaks. The 13th seed Borna Coric grabbed the 18th Grand Slam win, beating Aljaz Bedene 6-1, 6-7, 6-4, 6-4 in two hours and 51 minutes. The Croat never lost serve and scored five from seven chances on the other hand, serving well throughout the match and breaking Aljaz once in sets three and four to cross the finish line and make a solid start of the campaign. In the all-Argentinian clash, the 19th seed Guido Pella overpowered Guido Andreozzi 7-6, 6-4, 1-6, 6-1 in two hours and 58 minutes, converting four out of 12 break points and finding his best tennis after a slow third set for Grand Slam win number 11.
A former champion and the 24th seed Stan Wawrinka needed two hours and 22 minutes to send Jozef Kovalik packing, claiming a 6-1, 6-7, 6-2, 6-3 victory, the 136th at Grand Slam level. The Swiss had the upper hand in the sets he won, leaving the second set behind him and managing to seal the deal in four sets and avoid spending more time on the court, a crucial element for him in the opening rounds. The 26th seed Gilles Simon shined in front of the home crowd to beat a lucky loser Sergiy Stakhovsky 6-3, 6-3, 6-4 in two hours and three minutes, losing only 16 points behind the initial shot and storming over his rival to create 12 break points and convert four of those, enough for straight sets success and the 84th Major win.
His compatriot and a former semi-finalist Jo-Wilfried Tsonga toppled Peter Gojowczyk 7-6, 6-1, 4-6, 6-3 for the 17th win in 2019, dropping serve four times and erasing that deficit with seven good return games that carried him towards the finish line.
from Tennis World USA http://bit.ly/2YUgQU2
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