Roland Garros Winners: Medvedev, Garcia, Kvitova Among Contenders Sent Packing at French Open

Can Jessica Pegula Benefit from Upsets in French Open Women’s Draw?

It was open season for the seeded players, especially on the women’s side as the French Open got underway.

In the first round alone, 14 women’s seeded players lost and then No. 5 seed Caroline Garcia was upset in the second round.

Eight seeds failed to reach the second round on the men’s side with No. 2 seed Daniil Medvedev suffering a stunning five-set loss to qualifier Thiago Seyboth Wild.

Most of the other favorites in the men’s draw took care of business as there hasn’t been much change in the odds when it comes to the potential Roland Garros winners.

Carlos Alcaraz continues to lead the way at +140 to win the men’s title followed by Novak Djokovic at +210 and Holger Rune being priced at +600.

Top seed and defending champion Iga Swiatek continue to be the front-runner with -140 odds. Those odds haven’t changed since the start of the tournament. Aryna Sabalenka odds moved from +600 to +400 and Elena Rybakina (+500) is another top challenger.

Lost Opportunity For Medvedev

With Alcaraz and Djokovic in the top half of the bracket, second-seeded Medvedev was thought to have a chance to make a deep run in the French Open. His departure could open the door for some under-the-radar players to make a move in the Roland Garros winners odds.

That ended in shocking fashion when he dropped the fourth and fifth sets to suffer a stunning loss to qualifier Thiago Seyboth Wild.

Medvedev’s loss means that the other seeded players not having to deal with Medvedev to reach the quarterfinals are No. 15 Borna Coric, No. 18 Alex De Minaur, and No. 27 Yoshihito Nishioka.

The big winners could be whoever emerges in the part of the draw that includes No. 8 Jannik Sinner, No. 12 Frances Tiafoe, No. 22 Alexander Zverev, and red-hot Grigor Dimitrov, the No. 28 seed.

No. 10 seed Felix Auger-Aliassime was sent packing in straight sets by veteran Fabio Fognini as Fognini won his opening match in 12 of the last 14 French Opens. Among tennis players, somebody like Fognini can be a dangerous floater at the Grand Slams.

Diego Schwartzman took out No. 32 seed Bernabe Zapata Miralles in a five-set, wild-card Thanasi Kokkinakis took out 20th-seeded Daniel Evans 6-4, 6-4, 6-4. American Ben Shelton, seeded 30th, also lost in the first round with Lorenzo Sonego winning in four sets.

Qualifier Andrea Vavassori upset No. 31 seed Miomir Kecmanovic and No. 21 seed Jan-Lennard Struff also went out in the first round.

Quick Exits for Sakkari and Kvitova

The top seed to fall in the first round on the women’s side is No. 8 Maria Sakkari with her 7-6, 7-5 loss to Karolina Muchova opening things up.

That could make the road less daunting for third-seeded American Jessica Pegula, who has reached the third round with wins over Danielle Collins and Camila Giorgi. as the No. 21 seed Magda Linette also failed to reach the second round.

Petra Kvitova, a two-time semifinalist at Roland Garros, lost her opening match at the French Open in 2010 with Elisabetha Cocciaretto stunning the two-time Wimbledon champion 6-3, 6-4.

Former Grand Slam champion Bianca Andreescu outlasted Victoria Azarenka, the 2009 French Open finalist, in three sets.

Azarenka, the No. 18 seed, was not the only seed in the top half to be sent packing. No. 11 Veronika Kudermetova was eliminated 6-3, 6-1 by Anna Karolína Schmiedlová, and No. 13 Barbora Krejcikova fell in straight sets to Lesia Tsurenko.

Also, 30th-seeded Sorana Cirstea tumbled in three sets to Jasmine Paolini while No. 31 Marie Bouzkova fell to Xinyu Wang.

Krejcikova had +1400 odds to win the title and she had won the last two matches against Swiatek. She would have one of the players thought to have a chance against Swiatek when it came to stopping Swiatek to join the Roland Garros winners for the second year in a row.

Keeping Tabs on U.S. Hopes

On the men’s side, four of the five seeded Americans took care of business without much of a struggle.

No. 12 Frances Tiafoe dropped just nine games in a straight-set win over Filip Krajinovic.

Ninth-seeded Taylor Fritz and No. 16 Tommy Paul also advanced in straight sets as did No. 24 Sebastian Korda. However, Korda fell in the second round to qualifier Sebastian Ofner.

Pegula was joined in the second round in the women’s bracket by sixth-seeded Coco Gauff and No. 20 Madison Keys. Looking at the tennis schedules, there is a chance that they could meet in the fourth round.

No. 32 Shelby Rogers was the only one of the seeded Americans who failed to reach the second round with Petra Martic advancing in three sets.

Can’t get enough? Here’s more!

• ATP Roland Garros Odds: Favorites Alcaraz and Djokovic Could Meet in a Star-Studded Semifinal
  
• WTA Roland Garros Odds Preview: Despite Leg Injury, Champion Swiatek Still The Fav
  
• Italian Open Preview: Could Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz Be On A Collision Course?
  
• Italian Open Odds: Two-Time Defending Champion Swiatek Heavy Favorite in Rome
  
• Mutua Madrid Open Odds: Defending Champion Alcaraz Clear Favorite in Madrid