Stefanos Tsitsipas came back from the brink to reach the French Open second round as Roland Garros was again overshadowed by the crisis engulfing Wimbledon.
Fourth seed and last year’s runner-up Tsitsipas defeated world No. 66 Lorenzo Musetti 5-7, 4-6, 6-2, 6-3, 6-2 in a match that finished early yesterday.
Greek star Tsitsipas triumphed as 20-year-old Musetti collapsed from the brink of a famous Paris win for the second year in a row.
Photo: AP
Twelve months ago, the Italian took the first two sets against Novak Djokovic in the last 16, before injury forced a final set retirement. He enjoyed a flying start when the night session first-round tie started on Tuesday, sweeping through the first two sets, out-hitting Tsitsipas just as he had done against Djokovic.
However, then came the familiar power failure and Tsitsipas comfortably pocketed the next two sets.
Tsitsipas came into the tournament on the back of a successful defense of his Monte Carlo title and a runners-up spot in Madrid. He was also on a season-leading 31 wins, which became 32 in the decider courtesy of two more service breaks.
“It was positive and a good effort in the end. I wasn’t feeling very good in the first two sets, something was off with my game. Lorenzo wasn’t giving me any rhythm,” Tsitsipas said.
World No. 2 Daniil Medvedev also eased into the second round, routing Argentina’s 103rd-ranked Facundo Bagnis 6-2, 6-2, 6-2 on the back of 35 winners.
Medvedev could rise to No. 1 in the rankings as a result of not being allowed to play at Wimbledon.
In response to the All England Club’s decision to ban players from Russia and Belarus, the ATP and the WTA women’s tour announced they would not award ranking points to any players for results at Wimbledon.
That means all players who earned ranking points at Wimbledon last year — Djokovic earned the maximum 2,000 for taking the championship — would have them erased from their record as part of the usual 52-week system that counts someone’s best 19 tournaments over that span.
Djokovic is 680 points ahead of Medvedev, but the Serb could also lose ranking points if he fails to defend his French Open title. Wimbledon begins on June 27.
“Very strange,” Medvedev said of the situation. “I need to be honest, but yeah, as I said last time, I’d be really happy to play Wimbledon.”
“But if I cannot, I mean, just going to prepare for next tournaments and ... just follow what’s happening there,” he said. “There are no points, I become No. 1, well great for me. If there are points, I cannot become No. 1, I’m going to be gutted. It is what it is. I cannot change some decisions, both about ATP and Wimbledon.”
Denis Shapovalov, a Wimbledon semi-finalist last year, said he objected to the ban and the decision to strip the points.
“I think they could have gone with it a different way, maybe keep 50 percent like they have in the past,” the Canadian said.
The biggest loser on the women’s side would be Karolina Pliskova who would drop the 1,000 points by finishing runner-up to the now-retired Ashleigh Barty last year.
She too wants 50 percent of the points to be retained, but intends to return to the All England Club.
“If you love the game you’re still going to go and play,” said 2017 Paris semi-finalist Pliskova after making the second round by beating Tessah Andrianjafitrimo 2-6, 6-3, 6-1.
Russia’s Andrey Rublev, the world No. 7, described the atmosphere as “toxic” after seeing off South Korea’s Kwon Soon-woo 6-7 (5/7), 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 in his Roland Garros opener.
Kiev-born Marta Kostyuk criticised the WTA players’ council for failing to consult Ukrainian players on the decision to strip Wimbledon of ranking points, and branded Belarusian Victoria Azarenka’s place among the council members “ridiculous.”
The council, which is made up of players who act as a voice for athletes on tour with the governing body, supported the WTA’s decision to strip ranking points from Wimbledon.
However, 19-year-old Kostyuk said she fully supported Wimbledon’s decision to not allow players from Russia and Belarus to compete.
“I would say 80 to 85 percent of the players had nothing to do with the [WTA] decision,” she said after her first-round defeat to Mayar Sherif. “It’s so ridiculous I couldn’t believe it.”
“None of the players’ representatives contacted me. None of them asked about my opinion, what I think. It’s like Ukrainian players don’t exist,” she said.
Meanwhile, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, a former Australian Open runner-up and world No. 5, bid an emotional goodbye to tennis after losing in the first round to Casper Ruud.
The 37-year-old Frenchman was beaten 6-7 (6/8), 7-6 (7/4), 6-2, 7-6 (7/0) by the Norwegian eighth seed.
“I hope the world can soon find as much peace I found today. Thank you Roland Garros. Thank you Mister Tennis. I love you,” Tsonga said.
Additional reporting by AP and Reuters
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