Iga Swiatek began her Olympic journey with a solid performance, defeating Romania’s Irina-Camelia Begu 6-2, 7-5 at Roland Garros, the venue where she has previously claimed four French Open titles. After a shaky start in the second set, Swiatek rallied to win the last four games, showcasing her clay-court prowess. This victory marks her 22nd consecutive win at Roland Garros, following her recent French Open triumph.
The first day of tennis at the Paris Olympics faced delays due to rain, affecting match schedules across the venue. Play was postponed for hours on the outside courts, but matches proceeded under the retractable roofs of the main arenas.
Italy’s Jasmine Paolini was the first player to secure a victory, overcoming Ana Bogdan 7-5, 6-3. Canadian Leylah Fernandez, the 16th seed, was scheduled to compete against Karolina Muchova, while fellow Canadian Bianca Andreescu’s match was postponed due to weather conditions. Other notable players, including Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic, and Naomi Osaka, were also set to compete later that day.
Alcaraz, the reigning French Open champion, won his first-round match against Hady Habib 6-3, 6-1, and later teamed up with Rafael Nadal to win their doubles match. Djokovic, seeded No. 1 in the men’s draw, advanced with a straight-sets win over Matthew Ebden.In a major upset, Angelique Kerber eliminated four-time major champion Naomi Osaka 7-5, 6-3 in the first round. Osaka was hoping for a better showing than at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, where she lost in the third round.
The tennis events at the 2024 Paris Olympics are being held at Roland Garros from July 27 to August 4, featuring 64 players in the singles tournaments and 32 teams in the doubles events.
