A DISAPPOINTING five-set loss to Frenchman Benoit Paire on his home court was one of the only few major upsets of day one at Roland Garros fantasy tennis competition. The 31st seed was one of eight seeds out on court and joined American, John Isner as the only other two seeds out in the first round.

In a new format for Roland Garros, the first round is split across four days, with Argentinian Guido Pella booking his passage through to the next round with a 6-2 7-6 2-6 6-7 6-2 victory over Paire. He looked to have it a lot more comfortably before the Frenchman fought back to drag the match into five sets. Similar, Isner looked like rolling into the next round, leading Chilean qualifier Nicolas Jarry 7-5 6-3 at one stage, but then the clay court talent stepped up, weathering the barrage of aces to win in a shock result, 5-7 3-6 6-4 6-2 6-1, getting better and better as the match went on.

There was just the one other five set match and had it gone the way it was looking like at one stage, then fifth seed Daniil Medvedev’s potential exit would have topped the list of upsets. The Russian had to fight back from two sets to one down against Ukrainian qualifier, Sergiy Stakhovsky before running out a 3-6 6-2 5-7 6-0 7-5 victor to move through to the second round.

The remaining seeds had it easier with one of the title contenders in Austrian Dominic Thiem leading the way by dropping just two games in a 6-0 6-2 6-0 rout of Belarusian Egor Gerasimov. Other seeds, Matteo Berrettini, Nikoloz Basilashvili, Filip Krajinovic and Andy Murray all moved through to the Round of 64 without dropping a set in their first round matches.

Of the unseeded clashes, there were two five-set matches, with big-serving competitors, Marin Cilic and Reilly Opelka’s match the best of the lot. In the end the Croatian got up 7-6 6-2 3-6 6-7 6-4 in almost four hours of gameplay. Czech Republic’s Jiri Vesely was the other player to win in five sets, downing Portugal’s Joao Sousa 6-3 6-7 6-4 2-6 7-5 in an equally tight arm-wrestle. Thiago Seyboth Wild was the only other player to drop a set but still win their match, knocking off his more experienced South American opponent Federico Delbonis, 6-2 3-6 6-3 6-4.

Other winners on day one were Argentinian Juan Ignacio Londero, Austrian Dennis Novak, Frenchman Jeremy Chardy, Australian Nick Kyrgios and American Sam Querrey who all won in straight sets over their respective opponents.

ROUND OF 128 RESULTS:

[3] Dominic Thiem (AUT) defeated Egor Gerasimov (BLR) 6-0 6-2 6-0
[5] Daniil Medvedev (RUS) defeated [Q] Sergiy Stakhovsky (UKR) 3-6 6-2 5-7 6-0 7-5
[13] Matteo Berrettini (ITA) defeated Andrej Martin (SLO) 6-2 6-3 6-3
[15] Nikoloz Basilashvili (GEO) defeated Gilles Simon (FRA) 6-2 6-1 6-3
[17] Filip Krajinovic (SRB) defeated Roberto Carballes Baena (ESP) 6-2 6-4 6-2
[21] Andy Murray (GBR) defeated Yoshihito Nishioka (JPN) 6-0 6-2 6-1
[Q] Nicolas Jarry (CHI) defeated [30] John Isner (USA) 5-7 3-6 6-4 6-2 6-1
Guido Pella (ARG) defeated [31] Benoit Paire (FRA) 6-2 7-6 2-6 6-7 6-2
Thiago Seyboth Wild (BRA) defeated Federico Delbonis (ARG) 6-2 3-6 6-3 6-4
Juan Ignacio Londero (ARG) defeated Tennys Sandgren (USA) 6-2 6-2 6-3
Dennis Novak (AUT) defeated Soonwoo Kwon (KOR) 6-3 6-0 6-2
Jeremy Chardy (FRA) defeated Jannik Sinner (ITA) 6-4 6-4 6-0
Marin Cilic (CRO) defeated Reilly Opelka (USA) 7-6 6-2 3-6 6-7 6-4
Jiri Vesely (CZE) defeated Joao Sousa (POR) 6-3 6-7 6-4 2-6 7-5
Nick Kyrgios (AUS) defeated Dominik Koepfer (GER) 6-2 6-1 6-1
Sam Querrey (USA) defeated John Millman (AUS) 7-5 6-3 6-3