Three-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka of Switzerland bowed out of French Open for the final time.
Meanwhile, in-form Rome champion Elina Svitolina was made to sweat in the afternoon, but the Ukrainian survived a huge scare to see off Anna Bondar 3-6 6-1 7-6 (10-3).
Wawrinka, part of that veteran group at 41, went down fighting in a 6-3 3-6 6-3 6-4 defeat by Dutch lucky loser Jesper de Jong before being celebrated by fans on Court Simonne Mathieu and some of the game’s greats in a video tribute.
“I’m always surprised to receive so much love and so much support from other players or from the fans or from tournaments in general,” 2015 champion Wawrinka told reporters.
“I’ve been on tour for more than 20 years. When I was young, my dream was to be a professional player, to be in the top 100, to have the opportunity to play those tournaments.
“I never expected to achieve so much in the tennis, but I never put any limit on my career. I always wanted more. I always walk out to get more, push myself, push my own limits, and try to find my own way to get there.
“I’m happy and proud of what I achieved all these years. Today it was really tough. It’s never easy to say goodbye to something you love so much and you dedicate your life to.”
While Wawrinka finished his Paris chapter, Spain’s Rafael Jodar began his journey with an emphatic 6-1 6-0 6-4 win over Aleksandar Kovacevic on his Roland Garros main draw debut to back up the growing hype around him.
Elsewhere, world number two Elena Rybakina made short work of Veronika Erjavec with a 6-2 6-2 win for her tour-leading 31st victory this year while Matteo Berrettini beat Marton Fucsovics 6-7(2) 7-5 6-1 6-2 in his first appearance at Roland Garros since 2021.
Former runner-up Jasmine Paolini, Daria Kasatkina, Anastasia
Potapova and Amanda Anisimova all sealed routine victories to go
through to the next round.
Source: Khaleej Times