The second day of Roland Garros 2026 brings a loaded men's schedule headlined by one of the most compelling first-round matchups of the tournament - freshly crowned Hamburg champion Ignacio Buse against Andrey Rublev. Clay swing sensation Rafael Jodar, the 19-year-old Spaniard who has filled the void left by the injured Carlos Alcaraz, continues his remarkable rise against Aleksandar Kovacevic. Seeds Ben Shelton, Alex de Minaur and Casper Ruud all open their campaigns, while Flavio Cobolli begins what could be a deep run through an inviting quarter of the draw. The day also carries an emotional farewell thread, with both Gael Monfils and Stan Wawrinka playing their final Roland Garros matches - the latter now facing lucky loser Jesper de Jong after Arthur Fils withdrew on Saturday with a hip injury that cuts short one of the strongest seasons on tour.
Buse brings Hamburg momentum into blockbuster Rublev clash
The standout first-round matchup of Day 2 pits freshly crowned Hamburg champion Ignacio Buse against 13th-ranked Andrey Rublev in a clash that tests one of tennis's most persistent patterns - whether a player can carry momentum from a title-winning week straight into a Grand Slam. Buse arrives in Paris riding the wave of a life-changing run at the ATP 500, where the Peruvian qualifier defeated Flavio Cobolli without facing a single break point in the opener before stunning Tommy Paul in a gruelling three-set final despite requiring medical attention for dizziness early in the match. That triumph launched him from 57th to 31st in the rankings and made him Peru's first ATP champion since Luis Horna in 2007.
Rublev, however, presents a significant step up in quality. The Russian has put together a strong clay court campaign, reaching the final at the ATP 500 in Barcelona - where he lost to Arthur Fils - and the quarterfinals in Rome before falling to eventual champion Jannik Sinner. This is their first career meeting, and while Buse's 12-7 record in ATP main draw matches on clay this season suggests he belongs at this level, the jump from a 500-level title to best-of-five against a player of Rublev's calibre is a different proposition entirely. The so-called curse of the pre-Slam title winner looms large.
Jodar continues remarkable rise as Spain's new clay court hope
Just 12 months ago, Rafael Jodar sat outside the top 700. Now the 19-year-old Spaniard arrives at his debut Roland Garros ranked 29th, carrying a 15-3 record on clay in main draw ATP matches this season. His breakthrough clay swing reads like fiction - a maiden ATP title in Marrakech, a semifinal in Barcelona, and back-to-back Masters 1000 quarterfinals in Madrid and Rome.
With Carlos Alcaraz sidelined by a wrist injury that will also keep him out of Wimbledon, Jodar has emerged as Spain's primary hope in Paris. He faces Aleksandar Kovacevic, the world number 94 who showed his own clay court credentials by reaching the semifinals in Hamburg, including a three-set victory over Felix Auger-Aliassime. The American will be a dangerous opponent, but on current form, Jodar enters as the clear favourite in what could be the start of another deep run.
Shelton, De Minaur and Ruud look to find their footing
Ben Shelton and Alex de Minaur both enter Roland Garros with inconsistent form that belies their seedings. Shelton claimed the ATP 500 title in Munich but has struggled since, falling in three sets in the first round at both Madrid - to Dino Prizmic - and Rome, where Nikoloz Basilashvili stopped him. In Hamburg, the world number six managed one win before losing to Daniel Altmaier, again in a decider. His best Roland Garros result came last year with a run to the round of 16, and he opens against Daniel Merida Aguilar - a 21-year-old Spaniard ranked 86th who made a surprise run to the Bucharest final earlier this season and won two matches in Madrid.
De Minaur's relationship with clay remains complicated. A quarterfinal in Monte Carlo was followed by first-round exits in Madrid and Rome, though a semifinal run at the ATP 500 in Hamburg - where he defeated Alejandro Davidovich Fokina and Luciano Darderi - offered some encouragement. The Australian opens against Toby Samuel, a 23-year-old British qualifier ranked 159th who is making his Grand Slam and ATP main draw debut. Samuel built his recent form with back-to-back Challenger titles in Hersonissos, though those came on hard courts.
Casper Ruud arrives with perhaps the strongest clay court pedigree of the three. The Norwegian reached the quarterfinals in Madrid and the final in Rome, where only Sinner proved too strong. He faces qualifier Roman Safiullin, whose recent Challenger titles in Mauthausen and Oeiras came against largely lower-ranked opposition, with just one top-100 scalp. Ruud should be expected to advance comfortably.
Cobolli eyes opportunity in an open quarter
Flavio Cobolli may not carry the profile of the draw's bigger names, but according to TennisRatio's pre-tournament analysis, the 12th-ranked Italian has the strongest clay court performance metrics in a second quarter where top seeds Felix Auger-Aliassime and Daniil Medvedev have limited credentials on the surface. The 22-year-old broke into the top 15 on the back of a strong clay campaign last season and opened 2026 with a final in Munich, where he lost to Shelton, and a quarterfinal run in Madrid. Results in Rome and Hamburg were disappointing, but the underlying quality on clay remains clear.
His opener against compatriot Andrea Pellegrino is far from straightforward, though. The 29-year-old, ranked 126th and predominantly a Challenger circuit player, produced an eye-catching run in Rome where he came through qualifying and advanced all the way to the round of 16. Along the way, Pellegrino defeated Frances Tiafoe and benefited from Arthur Fils's mid-match retirement before losing to Sinner. He carried that form through the Roland Garros qualifiers to earn his main draw spot. This all-Italian encounter could prove a tricky start for Cobolli's ambitions in what looks like an inviting section of the draw.
Monfils and Wawrinka take final bow as Fils withdraws
Monday's schedule carries emotional weight beyond the competitive matches, as both Gael Monfils and Stan Wawrinka play their final Roland Garros matches in a season both have confirmed will be their last on tour. Monfils, who received a spectacular farewell celebration on Court Philippe-Chatrier earlier this week with fellow French legends Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Richard Gasquet alongside current stars Djokovic, Sinner and Zverev, takes on compatriot Hugo Gaston in the evening session. The 39-year-old, ranked 221st, has won just one main draw match on clay this season, in Monte Carlo, while Gaston sits at 120th and has yet to win one in 2026. The competitive significance may be limited, but the atmosphere on Philippe-Chatrier should be something special.
Wawrinka, the 2015 Roland Garros champion now ranked 119th, makes his final appearance at the tournament. The 41-year-old was originally drawn against Arthur Fils, but the French number one withdrew on Saturday due to a persistent hip injury that has troubled him since Rome, where he retired after just four games against Pellegrino. Fils, ranked 19th and fifth in the ATP Race, had been among the title contenders after winning the Barcelona title and reaching the Madrid semifinals. He chose not to risk further damage, citing the lessons of 2025 when a premature return from a back stress fracture cost him the rest of the season. Lucky loser Jesper de Jong steps in to face Wawrinka, giving the Swiss veteran a more manageable first-round assignment in his farewell appearance.
