French Open 2026: Djokovic and Zverev Progress, Taylor Fritz Suffers Stunning First-Round Exit

Novak Djokovic and Alexander Zverev began their French Open 2026 campaigns with convincing victories on Sunday, but seventh seed Taylor Fritz suffered a shock first-round exit as Indian-origin wildcard Nishesh Basavareddy produced the upset of the day at Roland Garros.

With defending champion Carlos Alcaraz sidelined through injury and world No. 1 Jannik Sinner entering the tournament as the overwhelming favourite, both Djokovic and Zverev took important first steps in their pursuit of a maiden title this season in Paris.

Djokovic, chasing a record-extending 25th Grand Slam title, overcame Frenchman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard 5-7, 7-5, 6-1, 6-4 in a challenging night-session encounter on Court Philippe-Chatrier.

Facing one of the biggest servers on tour, the Serbian had to weather sustained pressure before gradually taking control of the contest.

"I played him for the first time and it's practically impossible to see where he'll serve," Djokovic said after the match.

"In a match like that, you have to stay focused and wait for an opportunity. It was a bit difficult but in the end I found my best tennis and best return game at the right moment."

Zverev cruises while Fritz crashes out of French Open

Second seed Alexander Zverev enjoyed a more straightforward afternoon, dispatching home favourite Benjamin Bonzi 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 under the Paris heat.

The German never allowed the world No. 95 to settle into the match and comfortably progressed to the second round, where he will face Czech Republic's Tomas Machac.

"Very good start to the tournament, it's always good to start with a win in straight sets especially against Benjamin who can be a tricky opponent," Zverev said.

While the tournament's top contenders avoided trouble, Fritz became the highest-profile casualty of the opening day.

The American struggled to cope with the variety and composure of fellow American Nishesh Basavareddy, who secured the biggest victory of his career with a 7-6(5), 7-6(5), 6-7(9), 6-1 triumph.

Ranked No. 148 in the world, Basavareddy repeatedly troubled Fritz with precise drop shots and changes of pace before dominating the fourth set to seal a memorable win on his Roland Garros debut.

"The biggest surprise was hearing my name chanted," Basavareddy said after the victory.

Fritz admitted he found few answers to his opponent's tactics.

"The drop shots were crazy," he said.

"He was hitting insane drop shots, like, off balls that were landing on the baseline. He killed me with that."

Andreeva shines as Kostyuk battles emotional day

Elsewhere, eighth seed Mirra Andreeva made a confident start to her French Open campaign, defeating French wildcard Fiona Ferro 6-3, 6-3 on Court Philippe-Chatrier.

The 19-year-old Russian struck freely from the baseline and wrapped up victory without facing any significant resistance.

Ukraine's Marta Kostyuk also advanced to the second round after beating Oksana Selekhmeteva 6-2, 6-3, although her victory came amid emotional circumstances.

Kostyuk revealed she had received news of a missile strike near her family's home in Kyiv earlier in the day.

"I felt sick just for the thought that if it was 100 metres closer, I probably wouldn't have a mum and a sister today," she said.

Brazilian youngster Joao Fonseca continued his impressive rise with a straight-sets win over Luca Pavlovic, while former US Open champion Emma Raducanu suffered a disappointing first-round exit after losing 6-0, 7-6(4) to Solana Sierra.

With Djokovic and Zverev safely through and Fritz already out, the spotlight now shifts to world No. 1 Jannik Sinner, who begins his pursuit of a maiden French Open title as the man everyone else in the draw is trying to stop.