Day 3 of Roland Garros 2026 delivered drama, dominant displays and a moment of history as the first round continued in Paris.
The biggest shock came from Court Suzanne-Lenglen. Daniil Medvedev, the sixth seed, fell to Australian wildcard Adam Walton 6-2, 1-6, 6-1, 1-6, 6-4 in a rollercoaster spanning 3 hours and 22 minutes. It marks the seventh time the Russian has lost in the first round in Paris. Walton, in his first Grand Slam main-draw match on clay, saved 16 of 21 break points including five in the final service game.
More bad news for the seedings as 20th seed Cameron Norrie retired against Paraguay's Adolfo Daniel Vallejo. The Briton, hampered by a rib injury sustained during a practice session with Ben Shelton, lost the opening set tiebreak 9-7 despite holding four set points, then retired at 0-2 in the second. It was the first retirement of his career.
The women's top seeds faced no such trouble. Aryna Sabalenka, last year's runner-up, dispatched Spain's Jessica Bouzas Maneiro 6-4, 6-2 for her 25th straight-sets win of 2026. Defending champion Coco Gauff was clinical against Taylor Townsend, winning 6-4, 6-0. After a competitive opener, the American delivered a second-set bagel to advance in convincing fashion.
Naomi Osaka, a four-time Grand Slam champion, beat Laura Siegemund 6-3, 7-6(3) to set up an intriguing second-round clash with Donna Vekic. Stefanos Tsitsipas, the 2021 finalist, progressed when Alexandre Muller retired with a right calf injury at 6-2, 3-0.
The feel-good story of the day belonged to Moïse Kouamé. The 17-year-old Frenchman became the first male player born in 2008 or later to win a Grand Slam match, overwhelming former US Open champion Marin Cilic 7-6(4), 6-2, 6-1 in front of an electrified Parisian crowd.
In the evening session, top seed Jannik Sinner, the tournament favourite with Carlos Alcaraz absent through injury, opens his campaign against France's Clément Tabur on Court Philippe-Chatrier.
