Monday's first-round action at Roland Garros produced upsets across the women's draw, with three seeds ranked inside the top 30 falling on the same day. Jil Teichmann marked her return from a seven-month break with a straight-sets upset of 20th seed Liudmila Samsonova, claiming her first top-20 win in three years, while Polish qualifier Maja Chwalinska delivered the day's biggest shock by dismantling former Olympic champion Qinwen Zheng 6-4, 6-0 to enter the top 100 for the first time. Elina Svitolina, the Rome champion, survived a scare against bogey player Anna Bondar, clawing back from 3-1 down in the decider to win in a tiebreak, while Iga Swiatek and Elena Rybakina needed a combined 135 minutes to dispatch their first-round opponents. Jasmine Paolini steadied a turbulent season with a gritty win over Parma champion Dayana Yastremska, Amanda Anisimova shook off eight weeks of rust to cruise past her opening match, and Eva Lys exposed the pre-Slam title curse by bagelling newly crowned Rabat champion Petra Marcinko in the second set.
Svitolina battles through emotional Bondar classic
Elina Svitolina showed why she arrived in Paris as one of the tournament favourites, surviving a gruelling test against bogey player Anna Bondar 3-6, 6-1, 7-6(3) in a match that tested every ounce of her mental fortitude. The seventh seed, fresh from a stunning title run in Rome where she beat the world No. 2, 3 and 4 from the quarterfinals onwards, found herself in familiar trouble against the Hungarian, who had upset her at both the US Open last September and in Madrid earlier this season. Bondar's aggressive play earned the first set and she led 3-1 in the decider before Svitolina clawed her way back to 5-4 and a chance to serve it out - only to be broken to love. Yet the Ukrainian refused to buckle in the tiebreak, closing it out 7-3 with the composure of a player who has learned to thrive under pressure. She saved all three break points faced during the match while converting five of eight opportunities, and her pressure point numbers - 21 of 36 on serve, 12 of 20 on return - reflected a fighter's performance. The victory extended her winning streak to seven matches and improved her clay record to 12-3 over the past year, a run that now includes a Masters 1000 title. Svitolina reflected afterward on the emotional toll of competing while missile strikes threatened her homeland, adding weight to a victory that went far beyond the scoreline.
Teichmann upsets Samsonova for first top-20 win in three years
Jil Teichmann claimed her first top-20 victory in three years, defeating 20th seed Liudmila Samsonova 6-4, 6-4 in straight sets. The Swiss player, who took a seven-month break from the tour last September, showed no signs of rust on clay - a surface where she reached the Iasi final last summer before stepping away, and the Rabat semifinals just last week. Once ranked as high as 21st herself four years ago, Teichmann played with purpose and poise, finishing with a modest 12 winners against 20 unforced errors but letting Samsonova beat herself. The Russian duly obliged, piling up over 40 unforced errors as her serve misfired and her backhand confidence crumbled. Samsonova came back in both sets only to collapse again each time, a pattern that has defined a dismal 2026 - she has now won just three of her last 10 matches, her third consecutive defeat, and will fall out of the top 30 in the rankings. Her Grand Slam record continues to deteriorate, and there are growing calls for her to drop down to WTA 125 or ITF level to rediscover form. Teichmann, backed by a vocal group of supporters on court, next faces Magdalena Frech in what promises to be a gruelling clay-court battle.
Chwalinska stuns Olympic Champion Zheng
Polish qualifier Maja Chwalinska delivered the day's biggest upset, dismantling former Olympic champion Qinwen Zheng 6-4, 6-0 in a stunning first-round result. The match stayed competitive through eight games with each player trading breaks to reach 4-4, but Chwalinska's left-handed game completely bamboozled Zheng from that point forward. The Pole swept the final eight games, her varied pace and moonball tactics exploiting a weakness that has plagued Zheng before - Elina Avanesyan used a similar blueprint to beat her at Roland Garros previously. Zheng required a medical timeout for a foot issue during the collapse, but the damage was largely self-inflicted. Her struggles resulted in a first opening-round loss in Paris, dropping 420 ranking points and falling to 117th in the live rankings - a stark reminder of how far the 2024 Olympic gold medallist has fallen since rushing her comeback through the China Open last year. Chwalinska's victory, her second career top-50 win after defeating Jasmine Paolini at Wimbledon 2025, propelled her into the top 100 for the first time and was built on a superb return game that saw her win 12 of 19 return pressure points.
Paolini overcomes Yastremska in momentum-shifting battle
Jasmine Paolini demonstrated the mental toughness she badly needed, defeating Dayana Yastremska 7-5, 6-3 to improve to 7-1 in their career head-to-head. The 13th seed arrived in Paris in the midst of a difficult season - just 10 wins from 20 matches, a quick exit from Rome where she was defending her title, and a drop out of the top 10 after more than 100 weeks inside it. It was a tricky draw too, with Yastremska arriving fresh from winning the well-stacked WTA 125 event in Parma, where she beat Barbora Krejcikova in the final. The Ukrainian showed why early on, storming back from 1-3 to lead 5-3 in the opening set before Paolini responded with seven consecutive games to seize control. The Italian appeared to move well despite previous concerns about a foot issue, though she withdrew from doubles for the second straight tournament. Paolini won 12 of 26 return pressure points while maintaining steady serving with 15 of 21 serve pressure points won - a workmanlike rather than spectacular win, but exactly what she needed to start rebuilding confidence.
Anisimova returns from injury with commanding win
Amanda Anisimova made a successful return to competition after an eight-week absence with a left wrist injury, defeating French wild card Tiantsoa Rakotomanga Rajaonah 6-3, 6-1 in just 69 minutes. The sixth seed looked every bit the player who had missed the entire clay-court season in the opening five games, dropping serve twice and struggling for rhythm. But in the next 11 games, the two-time Grand Slam finalist looked like a title contender, unleashing the backhand angles and depth that make her dangerous on any surface. She finished with 24 winners against 24 unforced errors - 14 of those errors coming in the opening set - and won nearly 70% of points on her opponent's serve. Rakotomanga Rajaonah, who entered with a 1-11 record in 2026, was an ideal opponent for a player searching for form, and Anisimova has a favourable draw ahead to build momentum - she faces Julia Grabher next who defeated Rebecca Sramkova by 6-2 6-2.
Swiatek sprints past Jones in one-hour demolition
Iga Swiatek needed just 60 minutes to dismantle Australian wild card Emerson Jones 6-1, 6-2, stamping her authority on the match from the opening points. The third seed raced through the first eight points, including a break to love featuring three clean winners, as the gulf in class became immediately apparent. Jones, ranked 136th and building her career primarily at ITF level, was playing her first professional clay-court match at any level and had no answer to Swiatek's weight of shot. The 17-year-old managed to hold serve for the first time in the second set to briefly cut the deficit to 3-2, but was unable to reach game point again as Swiatek closed with a three-game run. The Polish star's dominance was reflected in her return pressure points - 14 of 23 won - while her tour-level clay record now stands at a staggering 107-18.
Rybakina maintains perfect serve as a favorite
Elena Rybakina continued her excellent clay form with a 6-2, 6-2 victory over Veronika Erjavec, needing just 15 minutes longer than Swiatek to advance. The second seed's power game was on full display early, snatching a hold from Erjavec by smacking four clean winners in five points after the Slovenian had led 40-0. Rybakina's serve, despite a concerning first-serve percentage below 50%, remained lethal when it landed - she won 84% of first-serve points and saved all four break points faced. Her pressure point dominance was complete, winning 13 of 16 on serve while capitalising on nine of 16 on return. The Kazakh's 13-3 clay record over the past year continues to signal her growing comfort on the surface.
Parks knocks out Fernandez in battle of errors
Alycia Parks continued her knack for upsetting seeds at Roland Garros, defeating 24th seed Leylah Fernandez 6-4, 6-4 in a scrappy encounter that neither player will look back on fondly. Parks' power game proved the difference on a day when both struggled with execution - the American finished with 26 winners against 29 unforced errors, while Fernandez managed just 10 winners to 23 errors, her tactical game offering no answers to Parks' raw firepower. Both players served poorly, combining for 13 double faults - six from Parks alongside six aces, seven from Fernandez - and the match was decided more by who made fewer mistakes than who played better tennis. Parks served for the match at 5-2 but wobbled, allowing Fernandez back to 5-4 before closing it out at the second attempt. The defeat is a bitter pill for Fernandez, who had shown encouraging form on clay with quarterfinal runs in Stuttgart and Madrid after a poor start to the season on hard courts. It adds to growing questions about her development and coaching setup, with the Canadian yet to replicate her breakthrough 2021 US Open run at Grand Slam level. She becomes the third seed ranked inside the top 30 to fall on the women's side today, joining Samsonova and Alexandrova.
Osorio continues dominance over Alexandrova
Camila Osorio extended her perfect record against Ekaterina Alexandrova with a 6-2, 6-4 victory over the 14th seed, though the scoreline flattered the quality of play from both women. Alexandrova, who has now lost four consecutive matches and won just two of her last 12, produced 18 winners but undermined them with 35 unforced errors and six double faults. She also created 14 break point opportunities but converted just three, as Osorio saved 11 of those 14 with gritty defending. The Colombian was far from clean herself - 23 winners against 33 errors - but her superior pressure point conversion carried her through, winning 13 of 20 return pressure points. The messy contest ultimately favoured Osorio's consistency, extending Alexandrova's pattern of early exits at the sport's biggest stages.
Rakhimova ends losing streak with Cristian upset
Kamilla Rakhimova snapped a four-match losing streak with a 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 victory over 32nd seed Jaqueline Cristian, reaching the French Open second round for the first time since 2023. The Russian's victory marked her second-best win by ranking after defeating Jasmine Paolini at Wimbledon 2025, showcasing her ability to raise her level against quality opposition. Both players struggled with consistency, combining for 10 double faults, but Rakhimova's superior pressure point conversion proved decisive. She won 16 of 33 return pressure points while managing 24 of 45 serve pressure points in what became a grueling baseline battle. Cristian's disappointing result continues a puzzling trend following her strong performance in Strasbourg, suggesting the Romanian may have left her best tennis at the previous tournament, making into semifinals of WTA 500 event. The victory sets up a second-round clash for Rakhimova against 10th seed Karolina Muchova.
Mertens powers past Maria with second-set bagel
Elise Mertens overcame a competitive first set to demolish Tatjana Maria 7-5, 6-0, completing a brutal first-round draw for the German's slice-and-dice style. The Belgian 23rd seed found her rhythm after taking the tight opening set, completely overwhelming Maria with powerful groundstrokes in the second. Mertens converted seven of 10 break point opportunities while saving five of eight break chances faced, demonstrating the kind of clinical finishing that has made her a consistent threat on clay. Her pressure point dominance was evident in both serving and returning phases, winning 15 of 23 return pressure points while holding steady on serve with nine of 19 serve pressure points won. Maria's early exit continues a disappointing 6-9 clay record over the past year, as her unique playing style struggled to contain Mertens' aggressive approach once the Belgian found her range.
Lys humbles recent champion Marcinko
Eva Lys provided a stark reminder of the curse that haunts players who win titles the week before a Grand Slam, dismantling Petra Marcinko 6-3, 6-0 just two days after the Croatian celebrated her first career WTA title in Rabat. The German played a clean, disciplined match - 23 winners against just 19 unforced errors - while Marcinko fell apart, finishing with 16 winners but a staggering 46 unforced errors, 30 of them coming in a second set that lasted barely 20 minutes. The newly crowned champion appeared both mentally and physically drained from her title run, with the turnaround from Morocco to Paris proving too much. Marcinko's serving was particularly poor, starting the match at roughly one in three first serves landing before deteriorating further. Lys capitalised ruthlessly, breaking serve six of 11 times and never facing a break point in the second set, setting up a second-round clash against Sorana Cirstea.
For a full preview of Tuesday's action, including Coco Gauff and Aryna Sabalenka beginning their campaigns alongside rising stars Alexandra Jovic and Alex Eala, head to our comprehensive Day 3 preview.