The 2026 French Open is off to the races, with first-round upsets making headlines after world No. 5 Jessica Pegula fell to No. 83 Kimberly Birrell in three sets.
Pegula has previously struggled at the Paris Grand Slam, seeing first-round exits in 2019 and 2020 before making progress over the past four seasons.
“When I saw the draw and saw I was playing Jessie, I knew it would be really tough,” Birrell said of her top-ranked opponent. “My goal was to just win one game and slowly gain some confidence.”
The rest of the WTA’s Top 10 escaped unscathed, as clay-court titans No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, No. 3 Iga Świątek, and reigning champion No. 4 Coco Gauff cruised through their openers despite a record heat wave at Roland Garros.
“I’m from Florida, so this is nothing — shoutout Delray Beach,” Gauff joked after handling Taylor Townsend 6-4, 6-0. “I felt more bad for the fans… I’m glad I was able to keep it short.”
Fan favorite No. 16 Naomi Osaka also made a splash, securing Tuesday’s first-round win over Laura Siegemund in an Eiffel Tower-inspired sparkly gold Nike tennis dress.
Where to See 2026 French Open Scores at Roland Garros
French Open coverage runs through June 6th, live on TNT.
