French Open 2025: Raducanu triumphs in three set, Navarro s shocking exit

The opening day of the French Open women's singles delivered immediate drama, highlighted by Emma Raducanu's hard-fought victory and a significant upset involving a top-seeded American. Emma Raducanu, 22, displayed immense grit to secure her passage to the second round, triumphing over China's Xinyu Wang (ranked just two spots below her) in a grueling three-set match. The Briton battled for 2 hours and 44 minutes, matching her longest-ever match on clay, ultimately prevailing with a 7-5, 4-6, 6-3 scoreline. The victory sets up a high-profile second-round clash against four-time Roland Garros champion Iga Swiatek.

Raducanu's win was not without its challenges. She required medical attention during the first set, with her blood pressure and temperature taken, and was seen rubbing ice under her eyes. Despite admitting she wasn't feeling "100%" heading into the tournament due to a back spasm suffered last week at the Strasbourg Open, Raducanu found her rhythm in the decisive third set. She capitalized on Wang's 54 unforced errors to take control and close out the match. This marks only Raducanu's second main draw appearance at Roland Garros, and the win equals her best performance here, having also reached the second round in 2022.

Following her own first-round victory, Iga Swiatek spoke respectfully about her upcoming opponent. "Everybody has a different path, you know, and different changes," Swiatek remarked, acknowledging Raducanu's past triumphs. "But for sure she's a great player and has, you know, [a] great forehand. She can use her topspin pretty well... She won the US Open. She can play great tennis, you know. I'll be ready."

Emphatic.
The Spaniard upsets the No.9 seed!#RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/0nfyn56LIz

— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) May 26, 2025

Shocking early exit: Unseeded Spaniard upsets 9th seed Navarro

In a major upset on Court Suzanne-Lenglen, American ninth seed Emma Navarro's French Open campaign lasted a mere 57 minutes. The 24-year-old, who reached her first Grand Slam semifinal at Flushing Meadows last year and the fourth round in Paris, suffered a brutal 6-0, 6-1 defeat at the hands of unseeded Jessica Bouzas Maneiro of Spain.

This swift exit represents a significant setback for Navarro, who had a strong start to the season with a quarterfinal appearance at the Australian Open and a WTA 500 title but has struggled on clay this spring. Her first-round loss saw her tie a rare historical record for a top-10 seeded woman, winning the fewest games in a Grand Slam first-round defeat since 1976.

The 68th-ranked Bouzas Maneiro, who had never reached the second round at Roland Garros before, expressed her delight. "I didn't expect the result but I always try to play my best, and I think everything is possible," she stated, clearly thrilled with her dominant performance on clay. Her unexpected triumph underscores the unpredictable nature of Grand Slam tennis.