Federico Cinà entered his main-draw debut at Roland Garros having already made history in 2025 as the first man born in 2007 to win an ATP Masters 1000 match at the Miami Open. On Day 1 in Paris the 19-year-old added a new milestone, becoming the first 2007-born man to win a match at a Grand Slam.

Cinà advanced past Reilly Opelka in a match that stretched to five sets, 3-6, 6-4, 6-2, 6-7 (6), 6-4. It was his first career five-set match and it lasted three hours and 26 minutes. After losing a 4-1 lead in the fourth-set tiebreak, he opened the decider with an immediate break and later saved a 0-40 game with the match on his racquet to seal the victory.

“I took it point by point and not think about if I go 5-all. I was really focused on each point,” he recalls afterwards. “The serve helped me in some points. I became more courageous. That was the key.”

Temperatures climbed near 90 degrees on the opening day, conditions Cinà said suit him given his roots. “I like it hot. In Palermo, it’s very hot. I like this type of weather more than clouds and rain. I’m happy that the matches are coming with sun,” he shares with a smile. He also reflected on the match length: “I didn’t expect the five sets to be like this,” the Italian would tell press.

Cinà reached the main draw after winning three qualifying matches, having fallen in the second round of qualifying at his first two majors. His early professional results have been strongest on hard courts: he was runner-up at his first three ATP Challenger events before winning the Pune Challenger in February. His Paris build-up included a quarterfinal at the Tunis Challenger and a three-set loss to rising Next Gen star Alexander Blockx in Rome.

“The French Open I never played. I’ve felt very good from the beginning of the tournament,” Cinà says. “I really love this city. For me it’s an honor to be in the second round.”

Alexander Blockx arrives at Roland Garros still chasing his first major match win, but he has arrived at the tournament with momentum after a breakout start to 2026.

Earlier this week he appeared alongside Grand Slam champions Iga Swiatek and Daniil Medvedev at a Tecnifibre event. As a child he had commemorated a visit to Turin by having his photo taken with Medvedev. “It was my first appearance at the Next Gen Finals as a fan back then. He was already a professional tennis player at the highest level,” Blockx reflected.

“I knew I had a very long way to go, but somewhere I also knew I would get there one day as well. It’s definitely special to be here now and go through everything he has been going through as well. It’s nice to see that the work paid off.”

So far in 2026 Blockx has moved into the ATP Top 40. The Antwerp native reached the semifinals of the Mutua Madrid Open, knocking off Felix Auger-Aliassime, Francisco Cerundolo and Casper Ruud along the way. That run came between a pair of wins at Monte Carlo and Rome, a sequence that has raised expectations without changing his daily approach.

“For me personally, not much has changed. Of course the ranking is higher now but I’m still doing the same things,” he says. “Maybe the players recognize me a bit more, but I’ll still be playing tennis as if I have no ranking. It’s just the process for me. I will always like it.”

Blockx is now Belgium’s No. 1. Zizou Bergs sits just two spots behind him in the rankings and Raphael Collignon is establishing himself as a Top 100 mainstay, signaling a new generation emerging at home.

David Goffin made his final French Open appearance earlier this week in the second round of qualifying. Reflecting on Goffin’s record and influence, Blockx was emphatic. “I think he was the best Belgian male tennis player we ever had. Did a lot of great things. Brought Belgium to the Davis Cup Finals two times, played the finals at the Nitto ATP Finals. If we could sign a paper with his career, we would immediately sign it,” declared Blockx.

“It’s definitely something we cannot take for granted. It’s sad that he will be retiring at the end of the season but at the other side, he’s had an amazing career. The next generation is competing so high right now, Raphael and Zizou are playing amazing tennis this year. He definitely has a few Belgians to back him up in the future.”

Arthur Fils has withdrawn from Roland Garros and will not play his scheduled first-round match against Stan Wawrinka. The French Tennis Federation listed “an injury” as the reason for the withdrawal, removing a seeded player from the men’s draw.

Fils had earlier retired four games into his Rome opener against Andrea Pellegrino because of a hip issue. He had offered an optimistic update on social media shortly afterward: “Felt something during the match in Rome,” he wrote on X. “I ran all the tests with the team and everything is clear. Already back to work for Paris. Thanks for the messages.”

This is the second consecutive year that an injury has disrupted Fils’s campaign at his home major. A year ago he pushed through a second-round clash with Jaume Munar but sustained a stress fracture in his back that ultimately sidelined him for eight months.

The 21-year-old had staged a notable comeback this season after missing the Australian Open, advancing to the final in Doha and the semifinals in Miami. He also won in Barcelona and compiled nine consecutive clay wins, a run that included a deep showing in Madrid, where he reached the final four.

Organizers and fans will now adjust to the change in the draw following the seed’s late withdrawal. The development truncates a much-anticipated meeting with a former major champion and removes one of the young French players expected to feature on the clay at Roland Garros.

© 2026 Tim Clayton