Casper Ruud quiet, Alizé Cornet’s farewells, the rain invited… What to remember from Tuesday

Beaten in the first round, Alizé Cornet is officially retired, after a nineteen-year career and a record number of consecutive Grand Slam appearances.

The final matches of the 1st round of Roland-Garros in the men’s and women’s tables were held on Tuesday May 28, during a third day disrupted by rain. Among the favorites, Casper Ruud, double reigning finalist, won without incident before Novak Djokovic entered the fray at 8:15 p.m., against Frenchman Pierre-Hugues Herbert. As for the Tricolores, in fact, it is already over for Arthur Cazaux, Kristina Mladenovic, and especially Alizé Cornet, now retired.

Mannarino, Cazaux, Mpetshi Perricard, Mladenovic… Tricolor massacre

Hope, then a return to reality. Returning from injury after ankle problems, and therefore far from his best level, Arthur Cazaux was unable to fight over the long term against the Argentinian Tomas Martin Etcheverry, 29th in the world and quarter-finalist last year. The young Tricolore (77th in the world) nevertheless pocketed the first set, but he then cracked to finally lose (3-6, 6-2, 6-1, 6-4) in the 1st round, for his third participation in Roland Garros.

Invited to this edition, Kristina Mladenovic will not have held back. The Frenchwoman was eliminated in the first round by the Croatian Petra Martic, 81st in the world, after a tough fight (6-4, 6-4). As in 2022 and 2023, the 31-year-old Tricolor therefore leaves the Porte d’Auteuil in the first round, after one hour and thirty-two minutes of play, she who has not won a match in a major tournament since Roland-Garros 2021. However, she remains involved in the doubles tournament, alongside Caroline Garcia.

A little later in the evening, Adrian Mannarino also fell in the first round, against the Italian Giulio Zeppieri in four sets (4-6, 6-2, 6-1, 6-2). Meanwhile, Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard fought a real battle on court no. 14, against David Goffin. But the young French hope, recent winner of the ATP 250 in Lyon, ended up breaking in the fifth set (4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-7, 6-3).

Double reigning finalist, Casper Ruud there

World number 7, and above all reigning double finalist at Roland-Garros, Casper Ruud made his entry on Tuesday May 28. Opposed to the Brazilian Felipe Meligeni Alves (137th), the Norwegian won in three sets (6-3, 6-4, 6-3). Beaten in the final by Rafael Nadal in 2022 and Novak Djokovic in 2023, Casper Ruud is aiming for a third final in a row at Porte d’Auteuil, at the age of 25, for his seventh participation.

Winner of the Barcelona and Geneva tournaments on clay before his arrival in Paris, Casper Ruud is thus maintaining his momentum. In the second round, the Norwegian will face the Spaniard Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, 32nd in the world. Another qualified heavyweight: Holger Rune. The Dane defeated the Briton Daniel Evans in three sets (6-4, 6-4, 6.4), after 2h35 of fighting.

Retirement but a record for Alizé Cornet

In 2005, Alizé Cornet, then aged 15, hit her first balls on the clay at Roland-Garros. Nineteen years later, the Frenchwoman played her fortieth match at Porte d’Auteuil. Opposed to the world number 8, the Chinese Qinwen Zheng (22), the 34-year-old Frenchwoman was unable to do anything for her last duel before her retirement. Severely beaten in two sets (6-2, 6-1) by the finalist of the last Australian Open, Alizé Cornet nevertheless set a record. Indeed, by participating in this first round of Roland-Garros, the French player played her 69th consecutive Grand Slam tournament: a record on the women’s circuit.

Enough to soften the score a little for the newly retired, who nevertheless remains committed to this Roland-Garros since she becomes a consultant for France Télévisions. “I’ve been preparing for this moment for weeks, but I don’t think you’re ever ready when the time comes to say goodbye”confided, moved, the one who was honored by a ceremony at the end of the meeting, and given a standing ovation by the public of the Philippe-Chatrier court.