PARIS. – Rain put a dampener on the third day of the French Open but defending champion Novak Djokovic avoided getting bogged down as his quest for a professional era record-extending 25th Grand Slam title got off to a solid enough start on Tuesday (Wednesday in Manila).
It was business-like rather than spectacular for Djokovic in the late match on Court Philippe Chatrier but earlier Casper Ruud and Aryna Sabalenka provided some bright spots on a grey Parisian day with impressive first-round wins.
Denmark’s 13th seed Holger Rune also brought his usual flair to court as he saw off Britain’s Dan Evans in straight sets while French favorite Alize Cornet waved goodbye as she was well beaten by seventh seed Zheng Qinwen in what was the final match of her long career.
The day took a long while to come to life though as spectators, many wearing winter jackets, were starved of action throughout the day on the outside courts, while players kicked their heels in the locker rooms.
No play was possible until 4 p.m., other than under the retractable roofs of Philippe Chatrier and Suzanne Lenglen, although some of the backlog was cleared later on.
Top seed Djokovic took to the court in the evening to face Frenchman Pierre-Hugues Herbert with doubts about his form after a disappointing season in which he has not reached a final.
There were still some blemishes in his game including a dip in the second set but Djokovic also produced some scintillating tennis at times to win 6-4, 7-6(3), 6-4.
World number two Sabalenka, who is eyeing a second major of the season after her successful Australian Open defense in January, mowed down Russian teenager Erika Andreeva in 68 minutes 6-1, 6-2.
“It’s a straight-set win. In the moments when it mattered, I think I delivered, played a great tiebreak, stayed focused,” Djokovic, who took his first-round record at Roland Garros to 20-0, told reporters.
“I’m glad that I started the way I started, the way I felt on the court. Comparing to the previous weeks of tournaments I played, I felt good. So I’m moving in a positive direction.”
