Djokovic wins Roland-Garros opener, advances to second round

Novak Djokovic opened his 2026 Roland-Garros campaign with a four-set win on Sunday, beating Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard 5-7, 7-5, 6-1, 6-4 on Court Philippe-Chatrier in Paris. The official Roland-Garros live report said the match lasted 2 hours 51 minutes and sent the three-time champion into the second round. (rolandgarros.com) Djokovic, a 24-time Grand Slam singles champion, recovered after dropping the first set against the Frenchman in the tournament’s opening-night session. ### How did Djokovic get through his opener? Roland-Garros said Djokovic turned the match with a break late in the second set after Mpetshi Perricard had taken the opener 7-5. (rolandgarros.com) The official live report described the second-set breakthrough as the key moment before Djokovic pulled away in the third and fourth sets. Court Philippe-Chatrier hosted the night match on May 24, the first day of the main draw in Paris. Roland-Garros said Djokovic finished the win with a forehand winner and celebrated after closing out the 5-7, 7-5, 6-1, 6-4 result. (rolandgarros.com) ### Who does Djokovic play next? The Roland-Garros live page said Djokovic will face Frenchman Valentin Royer in the second round. The tournament draw page also lists Djokovic in the field as play moves from the opening round into the next stage. The official tournament site said the 2026 French Open runs from May 24 to June 7 in Paris. (rolandgarros.com) That places Djokovic’s second-round match in the next phase of the men’s singles draw as the opening week continues. ### What else stood out on Day 1? Nishesh Basavareddy produced the biggest men’s upset of the opening day, beating seventh-seeded Taylor Fritz 7-6(5), 7-6(5), 6-7(9), 6-1 on Court Suzanne-Lenglen. (rolandgarros.com) Roland-Garros said the 21-year-old American wild card, ranked No. 148, earned his first main-draw win in Paris and his first career top-10 victory. ATP Tour coverage said Basavareddy reached the second round for the second consecutive Grand Slam tournament with the win over his fellow American. Roland-Garros called Fritz the first top-10 seed to fall in Paris this year. (novakdjokovic.com) ### How did Mirra Andreeva begin her tournament? Mirra Andreeva also advanced on Sunday, beating Fiona Ferro 6-3, 6-3 in the first round. Roland-Garros’ highlights page identified the match as a Round 1 contest on Court Philippe-Chatrier, and Tennis Majors reported that the eighth-seeded Russian moved into the second round with a straight-sets win. (rolandgarros.com) Tennis Majors said the victory was Andreeva’s 30th win of 2026. The result kept one of the higher women’s seeds in the opening-day lineup on course in Paris. (atptour.com) ### Where can readers track the next step? Roland-Garros said Monday’s order of play follows the opening Sunday program in Paris, with second-round matchups beginning to take shape. The tournament’s official live page and draw pages list Djokovic against Royer as the next confirmed step in his path. (rolandgarros.com) (tennismajors.com) (rolandgarros.com)