Jannik Sinner underlined why he is the overwhelming favourite to win this year’s French Open with an efficient first-round win against French wildcard Clement Tabur.
With reigning champion Carlos Alcaraz out injured and 24-time Grand Slam winner Novak Djokovic nearing the end of his illustrious career, Sinner is the heaviest odds-on favourite at a major since Rafael Nadal at Roland Garros in 2009.
The top seed will hope to avoid the same fate as Nadal 17 years ago, when the four-time defending champion fell in the fourth round to Robin Soderling in one of the tournament’s biggest-ever upsets.
The Italian, 24, began his bid for the career Grand Slam with a 6-1 6-3 6-4 victory against world number 171 Tabur.
It was Sinner’s first French Open match on Court Philippe Chatrier since his five-set defeat by Alcaraz in last year’s final, in which he missed three championship points.
The French Open is the only major missing from Sinner’s collection and he would become just the 10th man to complete the career Grand Slam if he wins in Paris.
Sinner and rival Alcaraz, who became the ninth man to accomplish the feat at January’s Australian Open, have won the past nine majors between them.
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Defeating Tabur stretched Sinner’s winning streak to 30 matches, which has already yielded clay-court titles in Monte Carlo, Madrid and Rome.
His most recent triumph in Rome meant he completed the full set of nine ATP Masters 1000 titles – known as the ‘career Golden Masters’.
Sinner dominated the opening two sets, with winners flowing from his racquet while unforced errors were kept to a minimum.
Tabur did not have a break point in the match as Sinner wrapped up victory in two hours and eight minutes.
Sinner’s path to the Coupe des Mousquetaires is already without one major obstacle because Alcaraz is absent – and seeds tumbled in his half of the draw on Tuesday.
Sixth seed Daniil Medvedev and ninth seed Alexander Bublik were defeated in the first round, while fourth seed Felix Auger-Aliassime needed a fifth-set tie-break to beat world number 57 Daniel Altmaier.
Auger-Aliassime is the next highest-ranked player in Sinner’s half of the draw, but the Canadian has lost his past five matches against the four-time major winner.
Up next for world number one Sinner is Argentina’s 56th-ranked Juan Manuel Cerundolo, who knocked out Great Britain’s Jacob Fearnley on Tuesday.
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