Brazilian qualifier Thiago Seyboth Wild caused the first big shock of the French Open, knocking out second seed Daniil Medvedev in five sets.
In a now wide open men’s bottom half, there were wins for last year’s finalist Casper Ruud, young Dane Holger Rune and Alexander Zverev.
Defending women’s champion Iga Swiatek pulled away after a tricky start to open her campaign with a 6-4 6-0 win over Cristina Bucsa.
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A five-hour-10-minute epic played out on Court Eight. To add to the drama, Miomir Kecmanovic demanded to see the supervisor after being given a warning when he hit a ball back that had flown over from another court.
Carrot tops
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There is no missing Jannik Sinner’s fan club at Roland Garros this year. The ‘Carota Boys’ have been inspired by their favourite player’s penchant for a mid-match carrot snack. “I have orange hair, and I used to eat a lot of carrots in Vienna,” said Sinner. “It’s a good nickname.”
Venus returns
Venus Williams turns 43 in a couple of weeks but she is not yet ready to follow sister Serena into retirement. The American will play her first tournament since January on grass in the Netherlands, and watch out for her popping up in Birmingham, too. Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina, meanwhile, will play in Eastbourne.
Fallen seeds
Men: Daniil Medvedev (2), Miomir Kecmanovic (31)
Women: Barbora Krejcikova (13), Victoria Azarenka (18), Anhelina Kalinina (25), Sorana Cirstea (30), Marie Bouzkova (31), Shelby Rogers (32)
Who’s up next?
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Cameron Norrie will take on the crowd and a French opponent for the second match in a row on Suzanne Lenglen, this time former top-10 player Lucas Pouille.
Novak Djokovic plays the night match on Philippe Chatrier against Marton Fucsovics, with Carlos Alcaraz facing Taro Daniel in the last contest of the day session.
Caroline Garcia carries French hopes against Anna Blinkova while third seed Jessica Pegula meets the dangerous Camila Giorgi.
Zverev sees off Nadal on potential French Open swansong
Rafael Nadal's possible French Open swansong came to an end following a straight-sets defeat by Alexander Zverev.
The German came out on top 6-3 7-6 (7-5) 6-3 in just over three hours on an emotional Court Philippe-Chatrier.
It is widely believed this will be the Spaniard's final appearance at Roland Garros, where he has won a record 14 titles, though the 37-year-old acknowledged he is not yet certain on his future.
The two players were back on Chatrier two years after their notorious semi-final showdown, which was curtailed when Zverev suffering a horrifying ankle injury that ruled him out for the remainder of the season.
However, fresh from his ATP Masters triumph at the Italian Open, the German was quickly into his stride this time around, winning 12 of his last 13 service points on the way to taking the first set.
The fourth seed, who has reached three successive French Open semi-finals, then prevailed in a nail-biting second-set tie-break, before a couple of breaks in the third paved the way for him to seal a commanding win.
Data Debrief: Third time lucky for Zverev
Whether or not that was Nadal's final match at the French Open remains to be seen.
What is certain is that his 14 titles are the most by any player in a single tournament in the Open Era, and his 112 match wins are the highest tally in men's singles draws in a single major event.
Of the 74 different opponents he has faced at Roland Garros, Zverev is only the third to defeat the Spaniard after Robin Soderling and Novak Djokovic.
Gauff races into Roland Garros second round with quickfire Avdeeva victory
Coco Gauff made a statement of intent as she steamrollered grand slam debutant Julia Avdeeva in the French Open first round.
The world number three needed just 52 minutes to complete a comprehensive 6-1 6-1 rout on Court Suzanne-Lenglen.
Runner-up to Iga Swiatek two years ago, Gauff has also reached a further two quarter-finals in her four previous appearances at Roland Garros
The reigning US Open champion, who reached the Italian Open semi-finals last time out on clay, wasted little time in launching her quest for another deep run in the French capital.
Avdeeva had come through three qualifying matches to secure her maiden appearance in the main draw of a major.
However, the world number 208 simply had no answer for a relentless Gauff, who did not face a single break point and lost just eight points in her seven service games.
Sealing her biggest victory in a completed match at Roland Garros, the 20-year-old set up a second-round clash with 2021 semi-finalist Tamara Zidansek.
Data Debrief: 50 up for Gauff
An Australian Open semi-finalist in January, Gauff's quickfire victory was also her 50th match win in the main draw of a grand slam, becoming the ninth American woman to reach that milestone before turning 21.
The 20-year-old lost just one point off her own serve, and is now 16-3 in first-round major matches (5-0 at Roland Garros).
'It's too early for Nadal comparisons', Swiatek insists after strong start at French Open
Iga Swiatek insists it is "too early" for her to be compared with Rafael Nadal, despite her impressive record at the French Open.
The three-time champion, who lifted Coupe Suzanne Lenglen in 2020, 2022 and 2023, began her quest for a third successive Roland Garros title with a dominant 6-1 6-2 victory over Leolia Jeanjean on Monday.
Swiatek took just 61 minutes to wrap up her 15th straight win at the season's second major, becoming the first player to enjoy such a streak since Justine Henin's run of 24 straight victories between 2005 and 2010.
The Pole has now won 29 of her first 31 matches at the French Open, with only Chris Evert and Monica Seles (both 30) triumphing more often.
Her exploits on clay have drawn comparisons to those of 14-time men's singles champion Rafael Nadal, but the world number one still feels she has a long way to go before those can be made.
"I think it's too early [to be called Queen of clay]," she told Eurosport. "Comparing myself to [Nadal], I don't think I'm at that level yet. I still have many things to prove.
"He's a great person and a great athlete; I think he's shown that for many, many years. I'm just at the beginning. I'll do my best to take some lessons from him on being a good person and a good player."
"I'm really proud of my achievements and this has always been my favourite surface," added Swiatek, who will play Naomi Osaka in a blockbuster second-round showdown.
"It feels like home here. Hopefully, I'm going to be here as long as possible."
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