The favorites are getting the job done early on the 2020 French Open. The defending champion Rafael Nadal, reigning US Open champ Dominic Thiem, and No. 1 ranked tennis player in the world Novak Djokovic all easily made it to the second round of the tournament.
Nadal faced Egor Gerasimov on Monday and celebrated a cruising 6-4, 6-4, 6-2 win. The 34-year-old Spaniard never seemed bothered by Gerasimov, and kept his cool in the deciding moments, converting all of his five break points.
Nadal, who previously missed US Open due to concerns related to the coronavirus pandemic, will now face Mackenzie McDonald in the second round as he aims for his 13th title at Roland Garros.
Dominic Thiem had a lot more demanding challenges compared to Nadal’s, as the Austrian faced 2014’s US Open winner Marin Cilic. Still, Thiem responded with a dominant performance and secured a 6-4, 6-3, 6-3, victory despite 7 out of his 13 break points.
Thiem has set the stage for a second-round match against Jack Sock, aiming to return to his third-straight French Open finals.
Novak Djokovic was the last to play his first-round match, being pitted against No.80 ranked Mikael Ymer. Fresh of winning Italian Open, Djokovic quickly dispatched Ymer, allowing him only five games en route to 6-0, 6-2, 6-3 win.
Djokovic’s next opponent is Lithuanian Ricardas Berankis.
