And that makes that that. We’ll be back tomorrow for more spills and thrills - join us then. In the meantime, enjoy the rest of your day. Bye.
And there it is! Del Potro beats Mahut 1-6 6-1 6-2 6-4!
The number 5 seed plays Mayer or Benneteau next.
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Del Potro is good. He has three matchpoints.
Mahut has forced Del Potro to serve for it.
Mahut is trying his arse off, fighting to deuce on Del Potro’s serve, but yerman just doesn’t look in any trouble whatsoever and quickly closes out, the clinching point an absolutely monstrous ace. Mahut will now serve to stay in the match at 3-5.
On Chatrier, Berdych has broken Chardy, whom he trails by one set to love.
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More: he’s not great on clay because he hits it so flat, and movement for such a unit is more difficult.
Back to Del Potro’s chances, I’m informed by a coach that the slice situation is more of a disadvantage on clay: on a hard court it skids, but on clay it sits up to be thwacked. On the other hand, it’s easier for Del Potro to run around it than on any other surface.
Del Potro consolidates and quickly racks up two break points for 5-2. Mahut saves the first with an ace, then plays a fine point to account for the second. He has the survive another immediately afterwards, but eventually serves out.
Del Potro has broken to love! He is flowing now, leading 3-2 and 2-1. And back to whether he can win this thing, I wonder if his backhand situation - he has to slice almost all the time - will matter least on clay. On the other hand, Nadal’s forehand is perfectly designed to attack it, so.
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Berdych is back in action, by the way.
Mahut gets to 0-30 on Del Potro’s serve, but the forehand intervenes and it’s very quickly 2-2. Might Del Potro be able to beat Nadal on a good day?
I’ve just seen Serena’s celebration after winning earlier. Wonderful stuff.
Berdych is bleeding from the right hand and has the trainer on. He’ll be reet.
Public service announcement: Weezer have covered Africa!
On Chatrier, Jeremy Chardy has just taken a first-set breaker off Tomas Berdych. I’ve a feeling that match might still be going this time next week.
Elsewhere, Angelique Kerber, the number 12 seed, is into round 2. She has just finished with Mona Barthel, whom she sorted 2 and 3. She plays Bogdan or Vonrousova next.
Evening all, and there is it is – Del Potro has just cleaned up the third set with a thumping ace. He’s gotta bitta powa, that lad. He leads Mahut 1-6 6-1 6-2.
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Right, that’s all from me today. I’m going to leave you in the capable hands of Daniel Harris.
Del Potro is playing like the fifth seed now. He has the break in the third and leads Mahut 1-6, 6-1, 4-2.
We have an upset on Court 18! Jurgen Zopp, the Estonian lucky loser, has stunned Jack Sock 6-7, 6-2, 4-6, 7-6, 6-3! First Marco Trungelliti, now this. As for Sock, this is turning into a year to forget.
Angelique Kerber is safely into the second round after beating Mona Barthel, her fellow German, in two easy sets. Julia Goerges, meanwhile, looks like joining her in the second round. The German, seeded 11th, leads 6-4, 5-7, 4-0 against Dominika Cibulkova.
Some turnaround on Suzanne-Lenglen. Juan Martin del Potro is having one of his Juan Martin del Potro moments. Having lost the first set 6-1 to Nicolas Mahut, and seemingly in no shape to make it a contest, he’s won the second set 6-1.
Del Potro has been struggling with a thigh injury, which explains that horror show of a first set, but he’s looking in fine nick now. He’s made a lightning start to the second set, breaking to lead 3-0 against Nicolas Mahut.
Angelique Kerber, the former Australian and US Open champion, is in the groove against Mona Barthel, her fellow German, taking the first set 6-2 on Court 7. Kerber could be a threat if she’s feeling sharp.
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Jurgen Zopp, the unseeded Estonian, is refusing to lie down on Court 17. After three hours and 10 minutes, he wins a fourth-set tie-break to force a decider against Jack Sock, the 14th seed.
Del Potro nets a forehand and there’s the first set for Nicolas Mahut. 6-1 to the Frenchman. Del Potro doesn’t look right.
No time to dwell. We move to Suzanne-Lenglen, where Nicolas Mahut, the French veteran, is torturing Juan Martin del Potro with clay court wiles. Mahut leads the fifth seed 5-1 in the first set.
Serena Williams speaks! “She played really well. I don’t know how many aces there were. For every ace there’s money donated to a good cause. Two years has been a really long time since my last match on clay but I feel good. I trained hard. I’m just happy to have a won match here. I take it one day at a time.”
Serena Williams beats Kristyna Pliskova 7-6, 6-4!
On the face of it Serena Williams winning a first-round match at a grand slam doesn’t seem like much of a story - until you remember that it’s her first competitive tennis since March, her first on clay in two years and her first match at a major since she gave birth to her first child. Her nerves at the end are no surprise. She butchers her first match point with a dreadful drop shot and then she has to wipe out three break points as Pliskova comes out swinging. But when she earns a second match point, Pliskov nets a forehand. That’s it. Williams holds her hands in the air to salute the crowd and then she walks back to her chair. All very contained.
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It’s a scrappy match on Philippe-Chatrier but Serena Williams is finding more consistency, breaking again to lead 7-6, 4-3. The American is closing in on victory here. She’s looked rusty at times but that’s understandable given how long she’s been out.
Kiki Bertens, the 18th seed, has beaten Aryna Sabalenka 6-2, 6-1. Ashleigh Barty has also made an emphatic start to her tournament, beating Natalia Vikhlyantseva 6-3, 6-1.
The Serena Williams recovery has stalled. Pliskova breaks back to make it 3-3 in the third.
The Serena Williams recovery is in full swing now. She’s broken to lead 7-6, 3-2 on Philippe-Chatrier and Kristyna Pliskova is looking rather forlorn at the moment.
That’s quite the statement from Caroline Garcia. She’s beaten poor Ying-Ying Dyan 6-1, 6-0 to march into round two.
Kristyna Pliskova double-faults and Serena Williams breaks straight back. Ouch.
Serena Williams is broken at last. That tough end to the first set might have taken a toll on her and it’s Kristyna Pliskova who lands the first blow at the start of the second.
Serena Williams is having problems on serve in the second game of the second set. It’s been deuce for a while. Meanwhile Jack Sock leads 7-6, 2-6, 6-4 against Jurgen Zopp.
Caroline Garcia is making smooth progress. The seventh seed wins the first set 6-1 against Ying-Ying Duan. Ashleigh Barty is also looking strong after winning the first set 6-3 against Natalia Vikhlyantseva.
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Serena Williams wins the first set 7-6!
Kristyna Pliskova saves one set point, only to belt a forehand wide on the next, handing Williams the first set. This is a very good match.
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Serena Williams was 0-3 down in the tie-break. Now she’s 6-3 up. Good old Serena.
On Suzanne-Lenglen, the excellent Carolina Garcia is in charge against China’s Ying-Ying Duan. The seventh seed and home favourite leads 4-1 in the first set.
Krystina Pliskova saves a set point and forces a tie-break with Serena Williams. The Czech starts it well, immediately forcing a mini-break.
Krystina Pliskova is under pressure as she serves at 5-6 in the first set. Serena Williams is pushing hard.
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They’re still on serve on Philippe-Chatrier. Serena Williams holds to lead 5-4. It’s been quite the tussle. Krystina Pliskova will serve to keep the first set alive.
Kyle Edmund beats Alex De Minaur 6-2, 6-4, 6-3!
The sun’s out and the British No1 is through to the second round of the French Open after a controlled victory over his young Australian foe, who was too erratic to leave any lasting damage on the 22-year-old. It was efficient rather than spectacular from Edmund but it did the job. He plays Hungary’s Márton Fucsovics next.
Maria Sharapova beats Richel Hogenkamp 6-1, 4-6, 6-3!
That was quite the scare for the former champion but she’s emerged unscathed in the end.
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The stage is now set for Serena Williams on Philippe-Chatrier. The 23-time grand slam champion is out with Krystina Pliskova and is about to play her first match at a major since winning the 2017 Australian Open while she was pregnant. She’s only had a handful of matches since giving birth to her daughter in September and hasn’t played competitively since March. This is going to be fascinating.
Good news for American fans: Steve Johnson leads 7-6, 6-2 against Adrian Mannarino, Jack Sock has won a first-set tie-break against Jurgen Zopp.
Maria Sharapova has won four straight games. Crisis over! She was 0-3 down in the third set, but now she leads 6-1, 4-6, 4-3 against Richel Hogenkamp.
Heather Watson has a tough second-round assignment. She’ll face Elise Mertens after the 16th seed’s 6-7, 7-6, 6-0 win over Varvara Lepchenko.
Rafa Nadal beats Simone Bolelli 6-4, 6-3, 7-6!
The Italian spanks a forehand into the net on match point and Nadal, at last, is through to the second round after a brilliant struggle. The king of clay claps as Bolelli stalks off court. Bolelli caused the champion problems throughout but Nadal, who needed two days to get it done, was too stubborn and persistent, fighting back from a break down in the third set and then saving four set points in the tie-break.
Kyle Edmund wins the second set; he leads 6-2, 6-4!
Alex De Minaur makes yet another unforced error and Kyle Edmund clenches his fist.
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Nadal earns a match point with a spectacular forehand on the run, making it 9-8. But Bolelli wipes it out!
Maria has totally lost the plot out there... 3-0 Hogenkamp
— Carole Bouchard (@carole_bouchard) May 29, 2018
Kyle Edmund shakes off the disappointment of that previous service game, breaking to 15. It was a shocker from Alex De Minaur, who had fought so hard to get back in the set. Now Edmund will serve for a two-set lead at 6-2, 5-4.
Simone Bolelli was 6-3 up in the tie-break. Back came Nadal, though, forcing it to 6-6. Now Bolelli has another set point at 7-6. Nadal, with a serve, cancels it out again.
It’s all starting to happen. Alex de Minaur has finally broken Kyle Edmund to pull it back to 4-4 in the second set. More intriguingly, meanwhile, Richel Hogenkamp is a break up in the third against Maria Sharapova, while Simone Bolelli has seen three set points come and go in the third-set tie-break against Rafa Nadal.
Speaking of tie-breaks, the USA’s Steve Johnson has won one against France’s Adrian Mannarino, the 25th seed. Over on Court 3, Alex De Minaur holds to trail 6-2, 4-3 against Kyle Edmund. The Australian is acquitting himself well now. But he still has a mountain to climb.
Simone Bolelli is proving to be an awkward opponent for Rafa Nadal, who’s been dragged into a third-set tie-break on Philippe-Chatrier. Can the Italian force a fourth? Can he become the first player to take a set off Rafa Nadal since 1973?
Maria Sharapova must have thought she was heading for a swift finish when she led by a set and a break on Suzanne-Lenglen. Think again. Richel Hogenkamp has won the second set 6-4 to force a decider.
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De Minaur’s even more annoyed now. A backhand error gifts Kyle Edmund the break and a 6-2, 3-2 lead on Court 3.
Kyle Edmund saves more break points to hold for 2-2 in the second set. Alex De Minaur is frustrated at his failure to capitalise on his opponent’s dip.
Kyle Edmund saves two break points, the first with a storming forehand, and holds at the start of the second set. On Suzanne-Lenglen, meanwhile, Maria Sharapova is up a set and a break against Richel Hogenkamp.
Fabio Fognini, always entertaining, is a set up on Court 7 after sneaking it 6-4 against Pablo Andujar. The 18th seed might fancy his chances in an open field.
Rafa Nadal is having trouble getting out of the eighth game of the third set. He’s fought back from 0-40 down, denying Simone Bolelli a chance to serve for the set, but he hasn’t held yet.
That’s an impressive win for Daria Gavrilova, who’s fought back from a set down to beat Romania’s Sorana Cirstea 4-6, 7-6, 6-3. John Isner is also through to round two after a straight-sets win over Noah Rubin.
Kyle Edmund wins the first set 6-2!
The British No1 quickly earns three more set points. He’s hitting the ball so venomously and the set is his when De Minaur, whose inexperience is showing, knocks a backhand long. The young Aussie’s shoulders slump. Edmund is playing very well.
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Kyle Edmund pulls a forehand wide on set point. Alex De Minaur holds. But Edmund will serve for it at 5-2.
Thanks, Ben. And we head straight to Court 3, where Kyle Edmund, the British No1, is a game away from taking the first set against Alex De Minaur. Edmund leads 5-1. He means business.
And, with Nadal well into his stride in Paris, here’s Jacob again who’s well into his.
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This is fairly easy work for Nadal, who now just trails Bolelli by one game in the third set. It’s 2-3, and it is difficult to look beyond the Spaniard overhauling him to clinch the win. Elsewhere, Maria Sharapova has taken the first set 6-1, against Richèl Hogenkamp.
Nadal is looking pretty chilled out out there, ready to rumble against Bolelli. The conditions are a far cry from the sticky heat in Rome just a couple of weeks ago, however. He leads 6-4, 6-3 but is 0-3 down in the third before the start this afternoon.
Maria Sharapova’s kicking off on Suzanne-Lenglen against Hogenkamp, while Rafa Nadal is just about to come on to Phillipe-Chatrier hoping to say farewell to Simone Bolelli in three sets, fresh from that title win at the Italian Open. Meanwhile, Kyle Edmund is out on Court 3 against Alex de Minaur. He’s taken a very early lead.
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That’s a wrap for Muguruza. After exactly two hours, she heads into the final exchanges – surviving a late fright from Kuznetsova late on – to bag a 7-6, 6-2 win. Good stuff, she signs a few autographs and heads off court, well aware she wasn’t at her best. On Court 7 Fabio Fognini has just got under way against Andujar.
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Muguruza eventually makes it 4-1 after a little spot of bother at deuce. Kuznetsova is not going out without a fight, though. Elsewhere in the first round of the men’s singles, Cilic is trailing in the third set against Duckworth, while big-serving John Isner is looking pretty good against Rubin. He’s 3-2 up in the third set after taking the first two.
Garbine Muguruza looks pretty comfortable out there, she’s just gone 3-1 up in the second and it is one helluva mountain to climb now for Kuznetsova. The Spaniard is ripping through the games now heading towards a straight sets win.
Time for me to grab some lunch. Ben Fisher will be your guide for a bit. Put your hands together for Ben!
On Court 3, Australia’s Sam Stosur takes the first set 6-2 against Belgium’s Yanina Wickmayer. As for Denis Shapovalov, he’s closing in on victory over John Millman after breaking in the third set.
On Suzanne-Lenglen, Denis Shapovalov is in total control. Having overcome an early wobble, the young Canadian leads 7-5, 6-4 against John Millman.
Fiona Ferro has got the locals on their feet on Court 18. The unfancied world No257 has beaten Germany’s Carina Witthoeft 6-4, 6-2 to make the second round of her home slam for the first time. What a result. Ferro, who’s not bad on clay, will face either Muguruza or Kuznetsova next.
An utterly dominant tie-break from Garbine Muguruza earns her the first set over Svetlana Kunznetsova. Muguruza took it 7-3 and it’s difficult to say she doesn’t deserve to be ahead. She’s had the upper hand throughout.
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Let’s head around the outside courts, where there’s no shortage of action. On Court 9, Germany’s Maximilian Marterer leads 6-1, 6-3 against the USA’s Ryan Harrison, whose compatriot, Tennys Sandgren, is two sets down to Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz on Court 15. On Court 12, Jan-Lennard Struff is two sets and a break up against Russia’s Evgeny Donskoy. On Court 8, Britain’s Aljaz Bedene is a set and a break down to Uruguay’s Paolo Cuevas. On Court 14, the USA’s Bethanie Mattek-Sands is a set up against Sweden’s Johanna Larsson.
A hold apiece at the end of the first set and Murguruza and Kuznetsova head into a tie-break. Meanwhile Marin Cilic has got there in the end, holding his nerve to take a 6-3, 7-5 lead over James Duckworth.
On Philippe-Chatrier, Marin Cilic serves for a two-set lead. Really badly. James Duckworth breaks back for 5-5 in the second.
Play! Over on Court 1, they’ve reached the business end of the first set. Garbine Muguruza will feel she should have won it already, given that she served for it, but Svetlana Kuznetsova has kept battling and has forced it to 5-5, which is where we resume.
Players have returned to courts. We’ll have tennis in a few minutes.
Hang on! I am a liar! Just as I sent that post, footage emerged of the covers coming off! Play should resume soon.
I wish I could bring you better news about the weather. But I’m not a liar.
We are currently being treated to a replay of yesterday’s action. The rain continues to fall.
Play suspended ...
... everywhere.
Play is still happening on other courts. How strange. On Court 7, Kevin Anderson is two sets up against Italy’s Paolo Lorenzi, while Sorana Cirstea is a set up against Daria Gavrilova on Court 6.
Play suspended!
Il pleut.
Garbine Muguruza looks displeased. Can you blame her? She’s just blown a chance to claim the first set, allowing Kuznetsova to break back for 5-5.
Denis Shapovalov was a break down early in the first set. But the young Canadian is in charge now. He’s taken it 7-5 against John Millman.
Parity didn’t last long on Court 1. Booming groundstrokes from Garbine Muguruza are too much for Svetlana Kuznetsova to handle and the Spaniard breaks to lead 4-3 in the first set.
Fiona Ferro, an unseeded Frenchwoman, is having fun on Court 18. She’s braved the rain to take the first set 6-4 against Germany’s Carina Witthoeft.
Kuznetsova rips a backhand down the line to earn two break points. Muguruza saves the first but then comes an error. They’re on serve again in the first set. As they are on Suzanne-Lenglen, where Denis Shapovalov is fighting back against John Millman. It’s 5-5 in the first. Millman’s serving.
The first set of the day is done and it’s gone to Marin Cilic, who’s in a hurry against James Duckworth. The Croatian takes it 6-3.
They’re back on court. For the time being at least.
“We’ll hope for the best,” says the umpire on Court 1. They’re waiting to see if the rain passes but apparently a big storm’s on the way.
The players have returned to their seats. It’s too wet to play at the moment. They’re still going on Philippe-Chatrier, though, with Marin Cilic 4-2 up against James Duckworth.
Umbrellas are up at Roland Garros. Svetlana Kuznetsova is having a chat with the umpire. She’d prefer play to stop. Not yet, though. On we go for now.
To Suzanne-Lenglen, where Denis Shapovalov is in action. The young Candian, seeded 24th here, caused quite the stir at the US Open last year and he is one of those who could make an impact at this tournament. But not if he doesn’t liven up this morning. He’s a break down early on against John Millman, the Australian scrapper.
It was a good day for the Brits yesterday, with Cameron Norrie and Heather Watson both winning. Kyle Edmund will be hoping to keep the good vibes flowing later.
Maybe Muguruza won’t have her hands that full. She’s broken Kuznetsova in the first game. Elsewhere Marin Cilic is flying on Philippe-Chatrier - the Croatian leads 3-0 against James Duckworth.
There are grey skies in Paris and the courts are rather empty. But we have tennis. And on Court 1, we have an intriguing encounter. Garbine Muguruza, who won this tournament in 2016 and Wimbledon last year, is so strong on her day. But she can be erratic as well and she’s likely to have her hands full today. Her opponent is Svetlana Kuznetsova, the 2009 champion. The Russian veteran’s unseeded but dangerous.
Players are out, balls are flying, racquets are swishing. Day three is underway!
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Preamble
Hello. A first-round match featuring the world No451 wouldn’t normally be expected to take place on the biggest court at Roland Garros. But this world No451 is no ordinary world No451. This world No451 is Serena Williams, who’s playing in her first grand slam match since giving birth to her first child. The woman regarded by many as the greatest ever to play the sport, give or take a Martina or a Steffi, is third on Philippe-Chatrier with Krystina Pliskova of the Czech Republic and it will be fascinating to see how she fares. Not many people expect Williams to win her 24th slam. She has looked unsurprisingly rusty since returning to the tour a few months ago but the fact she’s here is inspiration in itself, bearing in mind the health complications she faced after bringing her daughter Olympia into the world. Mind you, we are talking about someone who won the Australian Open while she was pregnant. Even without a seeding, Serena Williams is not to be underestimated.
Before she takes to the court, though, there are a couple of other matches to get out of the way first. Marin Cilic, the No3 seed and former US Open champion, opens his tournament against Australia’s James Duckworth, and then Rafael Nadal and Simone Bolelli resume their rain-interrupted bout from last night. Nadal is two sets up but Bolelli was 3-0 up in the third before the rain arrived. Can the Italian force a fourth? Or will Nadal come roaring out of the traps?
The latter seems more likely, you know, and that might allow us to focus on events elsewhere. We won’t be short of entertainment today. Simona Halep, world No1, is in action against America’s Alison Riske later, Maria Sharapova faces Richel Hogenkamp of the Netherlands, Juan Martin del Potro meets Nicolas Mahut and 2016 champion Garbine Muguruza meets 2009 champion Svetlana Kuznetsova. Oh, and Kyle Edmund, the British No1 and 16th seed, faces rising Aussie whizzkid Alex De Minaur. They’re up second on Court 3. As long as the rain doesn’t get in the way.
Play begins at: 10am BST and 11am in Paris.
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