PARIS. — World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka sounded an early warning siren to her French Open rivals when she dismantled Kamilla Rakhimova in the opening round, while Parisian fans gave Rafa Nadal a special salute as the clay court major got underway on Sunday.
China’s Zheng Qinwen followed Sabalenka into the second round, returning to the venue of her Olympic gold last year and thumping 2021 runner-up Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova before Lorenzo Musetti eased past YannickHanfmann in the afternoon sun.
With the day session on Court Philippe Chatrier wrapped up, Roland Garros hummed with anticipation as fans who braved spells of morning rain gathered for the showpiece to celebrate Spanish great Nadal at the site of his 14 French Open triumphs.
A classy tribute unfolded as the 22-times major winner received a permanent plaque with his footprint on the same clay that witnessed his greatness for two decades.
The 38-year-old was joined by his friends and great rivals Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray, as the ‘Big Four’ reunited to applause from fans that included defending champions Carlos Alcaraz and IgaSwiatek.
Nadal, reduced to tears earlier after a short film of his memorable French Open moments, said he felt “infinite gratitude” towards the organizers of his favorite tournament as well as the people of Paris.
“It was unforgettable, plenty of emotions for a guy like me. . . I don’t love these kind of things because I’m still a little bit shy,” Nadal said.
“I don’t like a lot to be the center of attention. It was enough when I was playing tennis. . . I suffered a bit with the emotions, but I enjoyed it a lot.”
Three-timeGrand Slam champion Sabalenka ensured everything was on schedule for the ceremony as she cranked up her big serve and forehand in front of a sparse crowd under the roof of the main show court to blow away her opponent 6-1, 6-0 in an hour.
The writing was on the wall for a dejected Rakhimova when the 27-year-old Sabalenka broke for a 3-0 lead in the second set after scampering for a ball which clipped the net cord and getting a forehand winner.
The Belarusian top seed, who is bidding for her maiden French Open title, was delighted with the clinical performance that extended her winning streak in the opening round of Grand Slams to 18 before she paid homage to Nadal on his big day.
“He was an inspiration for me, the hard work he put in is incredible. He’s a nice guy and he worked super hard to achieve everything he did,” Sabalenka said.
Zheng crushed Pavlyuchenkova 6-4, 6-3 later to extend her winning run on Parisian clay to seven matches while Ukraine’s ElinaSvitolina dropped only two games in a 6-1, 6-1 win over Turkey’s ZeynepSonmez on Court Suzanne Lenglen.
