French Open 2026 LIVE: Day 3 at Roland Garros saw red clay scorched by a sweltering Parisian sun, a masterclass in high-stakes drama, complete domination and the tournament’s first colossal upset. The punishing clay courts were a cruel leveller for some of the biggest names in the game as the top seeds started their campaigns.
Sabalenka Shrugs Off Rust on Chatrier
Women’s world number one Aryna Sabalenka got proceedings underway on Court Philippe-Chatrier, beating spirited Spaniard Jessica Bouzas Maneiro 6-4, 6-2 in straight sets. But the final scoreline belied a tense opening act. Sabalenka was all over the place at the start, dropping her serve twice and mishitting her ball toss in the Parisian heat.
But the Belarusian adapted her towering baseline game when it mattered most, showing the sheer resilience of a top seed. Sabalenka broke back three times to win a gruelling 39-minute opening set then turned the second into a standard display of raw power to blast past her opponent and comfortably book her spot in the second round.
The Heat Claims Medvedev in Stunner
The biggest upset of the day came on Court Suzanne-Lenglen, where No. 6 seed Daniil Medvedev was knocked out in the first round by Australia’s Adam Walton. Medvedev came into the tournament on a high after a run to the semi-finals of the Italian Open but looked completely out of sorts and rattled from the word go.
Walton was fearless on Medvedev’s second serve and took the first set 6-2 in 33 minutes. The former US Open champion turned the tables momentarily with a dominant 6-1 second set but his rhythm deserted him as the heat grew more oppressive. The frustrated Russian made a string of baseline errors and Walton ruthlessly capitalised on them, taking the third set 6-1 before sealing a career-defining win. The early exit is a bitter blow for Medvedev, whose history of clay court struggles came back to haunt him in dramatic fashion.
Sinner Commands the Night Session
As night fell on Paris, the attention turned back to men’s top seed Jannik Sinner. The World No. 1, on a remarkable 29-match winning streak, came on to the Centre Court for the night session against French wildcard underdog Clement Tabur. Sinner is considered one of the top title contenders and was looking to assert his authority on the clay swing by using his clinical accuracy to dampen the emotional energy from a partisan home crowd.
Debayan Bhattacharyya is a seasoned sports journalist and digital media professional, currently serving as the Chief Sub Editor at ITV Digital (NewsX). A true Football-Fanatic Bong, his professional journey began at Zee Media, where he kicked off his career as a Sub-Editor for the sports team at India.com and CricketCountry. His ability to blend insightful analysis with rapid-fire news delivery soon led him to Times Network, where he served as a Senior Copy Editor for Times Now. Before his current role at NewsX, Debayan spent a significant tenure at OneIndia’s MyKhel as a Senior Sub Editor.
