It’s been a see-sawing second set. Naomi Osaka was 3-0 up, but she couldn’t hold on to her lead. Schmiedlova came back, broke for 5-4, got broken for 5-5, and broke again for 6-5. Now she’s struggling to close it out. Osaka, who’s been struggling with her emotions today, is doing all her to force a tie-break.
Dan Evans has the second-set tie-break against Fernando Verdasco. Which means we can go across to Philippe-Chatrier, where Naomi Osaka is battling to avoid defeat to Anna Karolina Schmiedlova.
I do wish I was watching Naomi Osaka instead of Dan Evans. It sounds pretty dramatic on Philippe-Chatrier.
Every time Naomi Osaka looks to be restoring control things go wrong again. Oh dear. She’s broken again by Anna Karolina Schmiedlova, leaving her down 6-0, 6-5, and might struggle to pull off another last-gasp escape.
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Fernando Verdasco has forced a second-set tie-break against the increasingly dangerous Dan Evans. Meanwhile Aryna Sabalenka has taken the first set 7-5 against Dominika Cibulkova, one of the most awkward unseeded players around.
Ah, nerves. Anna Karolina Schmiedlova serves for the match, Naomi Osaka breaks to 15. It’s 5-5 in the second set and the world No1 isn’t done yet.
We could be saying a swift farewell to Naomi Osaka soon. They’ve only just passed the hour-mark on Philippe-Chatrier and Anna Karolina Schmiedlova is about to serve for the match after breaking to lead the world No1 6-0, 5-4.
Then again, you always have a chance against Fernando Verdasco, and Dan Evans keeps that in mind as he battles back to 4-4 in the second set. Meanwhile Naomi Osaka has been reeled in by Anna Karolina Schmiedlova, just when it seemed she was on top at 3-0 in the second set on Philippe-Chatrier. And Karen Khachanov, the 10th seed, is through to round two after a good win over Cedrik-Marcel Stebe.
The sound of Fernando Verdasco roaring in celebration tells you he’s just found the spot with one of those trademark forehands. And he’s done it at just the right time, breaking to lead 6-3, 4-3 on Court 7. Dan Evans is up against it now.
Some matches are still running, with Lucas Pouille going up two sets against Simone Bolelli. It seems the organisers are going to press on for as long as possible.
Players are waiting on court to see if the rain’s going to pass. It’s quite strong, though.
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Ostapenko was a semi-finalist at Wimbledon last year. Since then she’s suffered a string of early exits from the majors. I remember a coach saying her French Open win was a one-off in 2017; something she achieved simply because her powerful game was so unknown at the time. I wonder if we’re seeing that now.
Naomi Osaka’s sorting herself out in the second set, breaking for a 2-0 lead. There’s a long way to go but this is more like it from the world No1.
An upset’s on the cards on Philippe-Chatrier. Sure, Naomi Osaka doesn’t have a great record on clay, while a hand injury has disrupted her preparations, but you’d be lying if you said you expected the world No1 to lose her first set of the tournament 6-0 to Anna Karolina Schmiedlova. Here we are, though. That’s what happened.
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Naomi Osaka hasn’t got going at all. The world No1’s dropped her serve again and finds herself trailing 0-3 against Anna Karolina Schmiedlova.
Fernando Verdasco nabs the first set 6-3 against Dan Evans, who did have chances on Court 7. You sense there’ll be a few twists and turns before this one’s done.
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Naomi Osaka, the world No1 and holder of the last two majors, is in action on Philippe-Chatrier. But she’s not made a great start against Anna-Karolina Schmiedlova, who’s broken her to love in the first game.
Dan Evans is back in it against Fernando Verdasco. They’re back on serve on Court 7. Elsewhere France’s Lucas Pouille has taken the first set against Italy’s Simone Bolelli.
An inauspicious exit for the former champion, Jelena Ostapenko. She’s been beaten 6-4, 7-6 by Victoria Azarenka, a player who’s always popular with the crowds. Ostapenko, down at 39 in the rankings, won’t have enjoyed losing that one.
Karen Khachanov, the powerful young Russian, has romped away with the first set on Court 1. The 10th seed only allowed Germany’s Cedrik-Marcel Stebe one game.
Alexander Zverev beats John Millman 7-6, 6-3, 2-6, 6-7, 6-3!
The young German earns three match points when Millman, head in his hands, drags a forehand wide. This has run away from the Australian very quickly. He’s hardly had time to react to this turn of events and before he knows it he’s heading back to the locker room, beaten after sending a forehand long. It took more than four hours to settle but it ended in a blur for Millman. As for Zverev he’s relieved to make it through to the second round – but he hasn’t made it through unscathed. He needs fast kills in the early rounds, not five-set epics.
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Serving at 40-0, John Millman contrives to throw the game away! Alexander Zverev hits back with five straight points and breaks to lead 5-3 in the fifth set. He’ll serve for it.
Dan Evans has made a poor start against the unpredictable Fernando Verdasco. The Spanish lefty has the early break.
Thanks Niall. And as I return the coverage on ITV switches to the early stages of Dan Evans’s match against Fernando Verdasco. Oh! Luckily Eurosport have stayed with Alexander Zverev, who’s making life unnecessarily difficult for himself against John Millman.
With the wind swirling around the court, Zverev meets a lob with an acrobatic volley to earn a break point. He nets his attempted pass, though, and Millman holds with a clever cross-court winner. Still on serve at 3-3, and it’s time to hand back to Jacob…
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Worth noting that Zverev, despite his lofty ranking and huge potential, has a pretty dismal grand slam record. Just the one quarter-final, and that was here last year. He came through three five-set matches to get there, but ran into a well-rested Dominic Thiem.
Two sets all, and two games all now, as a couple more unforced errors from Zverev allow Millman to hold. The Australian feels like the slight favourite; Zverev just can’t find any consistency at all. And with that, ITV cut to an interview with Kyle Edmund.
The women’s No 17 seed, Estonia’s Anna Kontaveit, is out at the first hurdle – she’s been beaten 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 by Karolina Muchova. Next up on Court 7: Dan Evans v Fernando Verdasco.
Zverev absolutely took his racket to pieces after losing that tie-break. The temperature’s rising out there – Millman just gave it the big fist-pump after a cross-court winner. Still on serve in the decider. Caroline Garcia, France’s best hope of a home women’s champion, has seen off Mona Barthel, winning 6-2, 6-4.
A quick trip round the courts: Roberto Bautista Agut has beaten Steve Johnson 6-3, 6-4, 6-2, while on Court 6, Big-Serving Ivo Karlovic is two sets up on Feliciano Lopéz. Surely they could have put some grass down for that one.
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Millman wins the fourth set! Zverev pulls two quick points back, but the Australian reads his drop shot to bring up three set points. Zverev saves the first, then Millman nets an easy forehand. Pressure on Millman now – but he takes the set as Zverev plops a weak shot into the net!
Another Zverev double fault gives Millman an early edge, and he dominates on serve to go 4-1 up – before a clean winner makes it 5-1 as they switch ends! Meanwhile, Azarenka has pinched the first set from Jelena Ostapenko, 6-4.
Nothing’s quite working for Zverev out there, and he chucks his racket to the ground after failing to take a chance on Millman’s serve. Into a tie-break now, one that the German will be desperate to win.
Thanks Jacob. Zverev let that break slip through his fingers, allowing Millman to break back, then follow up with a hold. Serving to stay in the set, Zverev double-faults twice in a row to surrender a set point, but digs his way out of trouble. 5-5 in the fourth there.
Caroline Garcia, the 24th seed and a former semi-finalist here, is in control on Suzanne-Lenglen. She’s taken the first set 6-2 against Germany’s Mona Barthel. Speaking of Germans Alexander Zverev leads by a break in the fourth set on Philippe-Chatrier. Victory is within sight.
There’s an enjoyable match-up on Court Simonne-Mathieu, where it’s former French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko against former Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka. Would you believe they’re both unseeded? Ostapenko won this in 2017!
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Good news for fans of rising stars: Bianca Andreescu, the 18-year-old Canadian, has squeaked through her tough encounter with Marie Bouzkova, beating the stubborn Czech 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 in a match that took two days to settle.
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They’re going to a fourth on Philippe-Chatrier. John Millman holds his nerve and his serve to take the third set 6-2, leaving Alexander Zverez looking rather flustered. Zverev leads 7-6, 6-3, 2-6, but he needs to get his act together sharpish.
Fabio Fognini has beaten Andreas Seppi in four sets, and in a way he’s managed to beat himself. There was a danger the ninth seed would collapse and lose in five after dropping the third set to his fellow Italian. Instead he held it together and used his claycourt talent to win 6-3, 6-0, 3-6, 6-3. Meanwhile Bianca Andreescu has snatched a crucial break against Marie Bouzkava deep in the third set on Court 14, while Annett Kontaveit has won the first set 6-3 against Karolina Muchova on Court 7.
It would be nice to see more fans on Phillipe-Chatrier. Alexander Zverev and John Millman are playing out an entertaining match in front of a lot of empty seats.
It remains tight on Court 14, where Bouzkova and Andreescu are still on serve in the third set. Andreescu, the 22nd seed, is one of the most exciting young talents around, but she’s being pushed to the limit by her Czech opponent.
Juan Martin del Potro beats Nicolas Jarry 3-6, 6-2, 6-1, 6-4!
Plain sailing in the end for the 8th seed, though he found himself in some choppy waters early on.
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