No. 1 seed Aryna Sabalenka needed only one hour to dispatch Kamilla Rakhimova at the French Open on Sunday May 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Aryna Sabalenka looked every bit like the world’s No. 1 player as she began the 2025 French Open with a dominant win over Kamilla Rakhimova in straight sets, 6-1, 6-0.
Sabalenka finished off Rakhimova in one hour, putting her recent defeat to Qinwen Zheng at the Italian Open in the distance. She served up five aces and broke serve five times during the match.
Advertisement
With the win, Sabalenka became the first top seed to lose just one game in her opening match of the tournament since Serena Williams did so in 2013 versus Anna Tatishvili. Williams went on to win the French Open that year, and Sabalenka would love to follow that path. Sabalenka has never made it to the finals at Roland-Garros, getting as far as the semifinals in 2023, when she lost in three sets to Karolina Muchová.
Sabalenka joked after her match that she would ask for advice from 14-time French Open champion Rafael Nadal, who was being honored at Roland-Garros following his retirement.
“He is such an inspiration to young players,” Sabalenka said, via The Tennis Gazette. “I will try and stick around to watch the ceremony, and ask him, please do you have advice on how to win this tournament?”
Up next for Sabalenka is Jil Teichmann on Wednesday.
Ben Shelton goes the distance, but survives
The United States’ brightest young tennis star needed a little more time than expected Sunday, but is on to the second round. Roland Garros’ No. 12 seed defeated Italy’s Lorenzo Sonego 6-4, 4-6, 3-6, 6-2, 6-3 in the night session.
Advertisement
Time of match: three hours and 31 minutes.
The 22-year-old Shelton reached the third round at the French Open last year and is coming off his second career Grand Slam semifinal at the 2025 Australian Open. He also had his girlfriend, Washington Spirit and USWNT star Trinity Rodman, in the stands supporting him while she recovers from a back injury.
Tommy Paul wins first-round match
Tommy Paul made news recently off the court by having his truck repossessed in Florida while he played in the Rome Open. Paul lost to Jannik Sinner in that tournament, but earned enough prize money to get his truck back.
Advertisement
Presumably, he’ll have no such concerns preoccupying him in Paris. The No. 12 seed defeated Elmer Moller in four sets, 6-7 (5), 6-2, 6-3, 6-1. After the losing the first set, a rain delay allowed Paul an opportunity to reset.
Paul will face Márton Fucsovics in the second round. Fucsovics beat Tristan Schoolkate in straight sets in his first-round match.
Frances Tiafoe endures through sluggish second set
Following a first-round defeat at the Rome Open, No. 15 seed Frances Tiafoe rebounded with a win over Roman Safiullin, 6-4, 7-5, 6-4. Tiafoe seemed to have difficulty maintaining focus during the second set and Safiulli nearly made him pay for it.
Advertisement
The American has struggled so far this year, losing five of nine matches heading into Paris. Roland-Garros has been rough on Tiafoe, where he’s won only four career matches.
Tiafoe moves on to play Pablo Carreño Busta in the second round on Wednesday. He lost in the first round in his first six French Opens, but has now gotten to the second round in four consecutive years. Tiafoe has only advanced to the third round at Roland-Garros once, where he lost to Alexander Zverev in 2023.
