PARIS, May 28, 2018

After 2006 and 2014, Stan Wawrinka has lost in the opening round at Roland Garros for the third time. Guillermo Garcia-Lopez beat the Swiss in Paris four years ago, which saw Wawrinka become the first reigning Australian Open champion to lose in the first round of the subsequent Roland Garros since Petr Korda in 1998.

The 34-year-old Spaniard secured a 6-2, 3-6, 4-6, 7-6, 6-3 victory on Court Suzanne Lenglen on Monday to repeat the feat this year, extending his clay-court record over the Lausanne native to 4-2.

“It’s disappointing to lose a match when you’re so close to winning,” explained Wawrinka, who is projected to fall outside the top 250 after Paris. “I knew I could win; my physical and mental level is almost there. I was very close today… At the same time, I haven’t played a best-of-five sets match in one year. So even when you’re practising, you can’t play with that pressure.”

Garcia-Lopez, who is competing in his 15th consecutive French Open, will next take on Karen Khachanov of Russia.

Djokovic makes progress

2016 champion Novak Djokovic recorded his 60th match win at the Grand Slam championship (60-12) with a 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 victory over Brazilian qualifier Rogerio Dutra Silva on Philippe Chatrier. The No. 20 seed from – the lowest Grand Slam seeding since the 2006 US Open for the Serbian – hit 37 winners to prevail in two hours and five minutes.

Djokovic will next play #NextGenATP Spaniard Jaume Munar, who emerged victorious from the “battle of the generations” with compatriot and 2013 Roland Garros runner-up David Ferrer. The 21-year-old from Mallorca came from back from 3-5 in the final set to prevail 3-6, 3-6, 7-6(3), 7-6(4), 7-5 in four hours and 15 minutes. It was Munar’s first Grand Slam main draw match win.

News and noteworthy:

• Young gun Cameron Norrie recorded a French Open main draw debut victory, as his opponent Peter Gojowczyk of Germany was forced to retire injured, with the in-form Briton in dominant form.“I was playing great. I was serving really well. I think that that was the best tennis I have played in my life. I think I was in the zone and not making any unforced errors, being the one dictating play,” Norrie told.
• Dominic Thiem, who captured his second title of the season, coming back from a set and a break down to defeat home favourite Gilles Simon in Lyon at the weekend has continued his good form here in Paris by racing to victory against Belarusian Ilya Ivashka, 6-2, 6-4, 6-1.
• Argentine Marco Trungelliti embarked on a marathon road trip from Barcelona to Paris and was rewarded with 6-4, 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 win over Bernard Tomic as a lucky loser. The 28-year-old Santiago Del Estero native, who lost in the qualifying last week, started an 11th hour roadtrip to figure in the main draw as the highest ranked lucky loser. Trungelliti had already travelled home to Spain but – after a spate of first-round withdrawals – he got the call to replace Nick Kyrgios on Sunday morning. He his now guaranteed €79,000 in prize money.
• Andrea Petkovic, who reached the semi-final at Roland Garros in 2014, has knocked out French hope Kristina Mladenovic in straight sets 7-6(10), 6-2.