Alcaraz wins Roland Garros opener, Swiatek makes strong start

PARIS: Carlos Alcaraz powered into the French Open second round on Monday with a resounding win to start his title defense, while three-time defending women’s champion Iga Swiatek also eased through at Roland Garros.

Four-time Grand Slam champion Alcaraz struck 31 winners in a 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 victory over Italian qualifier Giulio Zeppieri and will face Hungary’s Fabian Marozsan in round two.

Alcaraz is now on an eight-match winning streak at the French Open and also took Olympic silver at Roland Garros last year, losing the final to Novak Djokovic.

“The first round is never easy, and coming here as a champion is even more difficult,” said the Spaniard, who has won both the Monte Carlo Masters and Italian Open titles on clay this year.

“But I started well, found my rhythm, and I’m happy with my start.”

Alcaraz beat world No. 1 Jannik Sinner in straight sets in the Rome final just over a week ago as the Italian returned from a three-month doping ban.

Two-time reigning Australian Open champion Sinner takes center stage in the night session against Frenchman Arthur Rinderknech, who can expect to enjoy much of the support under the lights on Court Philippe Chatrier.

It is the first of two successive potential French opponents for Sinner, who could meet the retiring Richard Gasquet in the second round. Gasquet, 38, takes on another wild card, Terence Atmane, in his 22nd and final Roland Garros.

“It’s definitely going to be different,” Sinner said of the atmosphere that awaits him in Paris after he received a warm welcome back in front of home fans in Italy.

Taylor Fritz of the US became the first high-profile casualty in the men’s draw as the fourth seed lost 7-5, 3-6, 6-3, 6-1 to German Daniel Altmaier.

Norwegian