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Aryna Sabalenka’s diamonds sparkled in the sun when she won her first-round match at the heat-soaked French Open on Tuesday.
Top-ranked Sabalenka looked light on her feet on Court Philippe-Chatrier, despite wearing two thick necklaces in a 6-4, 6-2 win against Jessica Bouzas Maneiro.
“Diamonds, I don’t really feel the heaviness, but I can imagine how it looks from the outside,” said Sabalenka, the tournament runner-up last year to Coco Gauff. “So I feel pretty comfortable. For me, it’s important to look good.”
The four-time major winner was initially going to wear three necklaces but said she thought that might be too much.
“It probably sounds a bit crazy, but when I feel good about what I’m wearing, how I look on court, I tend to perform much better,” she said.
“I like to bring a little bit of a fashion on the tennis court. I know the dress that I will wear on the Grand Slam, and I just try to come up with something to match the outfit.”
Sabalenka said she wasn’t worried over her jewelry away from Roland Garros.
“I have my fiancé. He’s kind of like my security,” she said, smiling. “My physio does jujitsu, so I feel pretty secure walking around. If I go somewhere, I don’t go alone.”
Gauff began her title defense with a 6-4, 6-0 victory over fellow American Taylor Townsend, while four-time major winner Naomi Osaka beat Laura Siegemund 6-3, 7-6 (3) on Court Suzanne-Lenglen.
The fashion-conscious Osaka again caught the eye with a sequined gold playing dress.
For a third consecutive day, the temperature in Paris was forecast to rise to at least 32 degrees Celsius (90 Fahrenheit).
Osaka turned heads with another sparkling Grand Slam fashion statement on Tuesday and the former world number one matched it with striking tennis to dismantle unseeded German Laura Siegemund 6-3 7-6(3) in the French Open first round.
Months after dazzling with a jellyfish-inspired outfit at the Australian Open, Osaka walked onto Court Suzanne Lenglen in a sequined waistcoat blouse and a black mesh floor-length train before unveiling a layered yellow-brown and gold match dress.
“Honestly it’s very couture,” Osaka said in her on-court interview about her kit. “Funnily enough, I feel like … you know the Eiffel Tower at night when it’s sparkly? I think I look like that a bit.”
Siegemund, far more understated in attire, held her own once the clash began but four-times Grand Slam champion Osaka quickly took control of the opening set with her power and aggression to close it out with minimum fuss.
As the blazing afternoon sun made conditions more difficult for players, Osaka allowed the momentum to shift slightly in the next set, but the 16th seed saved a set point and powered back from 5-3 down to force a tiebreak and prevail.
“I felt really nervous but for me, I haven’t played on this court in a little while, so it’s nice to get out here and play in front of everyone,” Osaka added.
“It’s really hot so I hope everyone is drinking water.”
Osaka takes on 2024 Paris Olympics silver medallist Donna Vekic in the next round after the Croat eased past local hope Alice Tubello.
The unusually hot conditions at Roland Garros make net-rushing — usually better reserved for hard and grass courts — a viable option because the court is drying out quicker and playing faster.
Daniil Medvedev usually thrives in such conditions but he struggled in a five-set loss to 97th-ranked Australian opponent Adam Walton.
Walton, who received a wild card invitation from tournament organizers, beat Medvedev 6-2, 1-6, 6-1, 1-6, 6-4. It was Medvedev’s second straight first round exit here and third in four years.
“I know why I don’t really play my best in Roland Garros, but if I say it, it’s (making) excuses,” he said. “So I keep it to myself.”
Stefanos Tsitsipas, the 2021 runner-up to Novak Djokovic, was leading 6-2, 3-0 against Alexandre Muller when his French opponent retired. Muller wiped away tears as he left the court and later said he injured his right calf, three months after injuring his left calf.
Agencies
