Roland‑Garros opens — BBC and CBS tip Jannik Sinner as tournament favourite

Jannik Sinner opened the French Open on Sunday as the player most coverage was built around, with BBC Sport and CBS Sports both casting the Italian as the clear men’s favorite in Paris. The tournament began on May 24 at Roland-Garros, with Carlos Alcaraz absent from the men’s draw and bookmakers and broadcasters focusing on Sinner’s path to a first French Open title. CBS said Sinner was a “prohibitive favorite,” while BBC said the men’s event had not arrived in Paris with a favorite this strong since “Rafael Nadal in his pomp.” ### Why is Sinner being treated as the man to beat? BBC Sport said Sinner’s dominance and Alcaraz’s absence had turned the men’s draw into a question of whether anyone could stop him. The broadcaster framed the tournament as close to a one-horse race, using Nadal’s peak years in Paris as the comparison point for the scale of Sinner’s advantage. CBS Sports said Sunday’s opening round began with Sinner chasing his first French Open crown and the career Grand Slam. (cbssports.com) In one preview, CBS said a “clean sweep” was expected from Sinner; in another, it listed him as a heavy -350 favorite and noted that he entered Roland-Garros with a 17-0 clay record this year. ### Where does Alcaraz fit into the opening-day story? (bbc.com) Carlos Alcaraz’s absence was central to the way the men’s field was described before play began. CBS Sports said Sinner did not have to contend with Alcaraz because of injury, removing the player most often seen as his main rival on clay. The opening-day framing in Spanish coverage reflected that gap. (cbssports.com) La Razón said the clay-court major started with Sinner as the “gran favorito” in the men’s draw, even as the day’s schedule still carried Spanish interest through four players in action. ### How much has the men’s draw already changed? (cbssports.com) Seven men withdrew before the tournament began, according to Last Word on Tennis, adding churn to the field before first-round play started. The withdrawals were part of the pre-tournament attrition around the men’s draw rather than a single opening-day development. Roland-Garros’ official site said the main draw and order of play were live on Sunday as matches got underway across the grounds in Paris. (larazon.es) That made the first day a mix of scheduled contenders, replacements and early-round reshuffling. ### Which Spanish players were part of Day 1? (lastwordonsports.com) La Razón said four Spaniards were scheduled to play on the first day, alongside higher-profile matches involving Novak Djokovic and Alexander Zverev. The article presented the Spanish contingent as the main national angle for Sunday even without Alcaraz in the field. (rolandgarros.com) Olympics.com said its rolling Roland-Garros page would carry “resultados de hoy” and the upcoming match calendar as the event moved through the first round. The official Roland-Garros schedule shows first-round singles continuing over the opening days before the tournament moves deeper into the bracket. ### What comes next in Paris? Sunday’s play marked the start of the main-draw first round at Roland-Garros, with the tournament running through June 7, according to the official schedule. (larazon.es) Roland-Garros said live order of play, draws and results would continue to be updated on its tournament pages as Sinner, Djokovic, Zverev and the rest of the field move through the opening week. (rolandgarros.com) (olympics.com)