Tennis-Zverev aims to build against Machac at French Open, Svitolina downplays title talk

PARIS, May 26 (Reuters) – The French Open second round gets under way on Wednesday with a mouth-watering lineup featuring four-times champion Iga Swiatek and 24-times major winner Novak Djokovic.

Second seed Alexander Zverev will continue his quest for a first Grand Slam title, while Elena Rybakina and Jasmine Paolini are also set to take centre stage at Roland Garros.

TOP MEN’S MATCH: ALEXANDER ZVEREV v TOMAS MACHAC

Zverev has reached three Grand Slam finals without a title to show for it, but the French Open has increasingly looked his most viable route to a maiden major trophy.

The German has built a strong record with multiple semi-final runs and a runner-up finish before last year’s quarter-final exit, and all eyes will be on him as one of the main challengers to stop world number one Jannik Sinner.

Zverev kicked off his bid with a straight-sets win over Benjamin Bonzi and will resume it against Machac, having tasted success against the Czech in their only previous meeting at the Paris Olympics two years ago.

“Very good start to the tournament. It’s always nice to start with a straight-sets win,” Zverev said. “I have to build on it.”

TOP WOMEN’S MATCH: SVITOLINA V QUEVEDO

Elina Svitolina was expected to cruise into the second round but the Ukrainian survived a major scare when the unheralded Anna Bondar forced her to a final set tiebreak.

Fresh from winning the Italian Open, Svitolina credited “mental toughness” for getting through the nail-biting contest while dismissing growing chatter about her title credentials.

“I’m not thinking too much. I think people are talking too much about it. I think I’m in good form, but there are still players who are more favourites than me,” Svitolina said.

“I think at least five players who are still bigger, they have bigger chances to win this tournament.

“When you are playing well, when you are at the top, like in the rankings, everybody is playing free against you … They have nothing to lose, so they bring their best game.”

Seventh-seeded Svitolina’s next opponent embodies that fearless approach perfectly — 20-year-old Kaitlin Quevedo, who made her Grand Slam main draw debut at Roland Garros.

One of Spain’s most promising young talents who came through the qualifiers and upset Leolia Jeanjean, Quevedo automatically earned more money with that one win than she had in her career.

UPHILL BATTLE FOR DJOKOVIC

When Djokovic played his first-round match, he broke Roger Federer’s record with his 82nd appearance at a Grand Slam, but the 39-year-old Serbian acknowledged the uphill battle he faces after arriving in Paris with minimal claycourt preparation.

“It is more challenging for me, this surface, and I’ve said it before, I always say this is not the ideal strategy of coming into Roland Garros with one match on clay,” he said.

“That was not part of the plan, but it was a situation that I have to accept with circumstances of being injured.”

After beating a Frenchman in the first round with a four-set victory over Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, third seed Djokovic faces another local hope in Valentin Royer.

FRENCH OPEN ORDER OF PLAY ON WEDNESDAY (prefix number denotes seeding):

COURT PHILIPPE CHATRIER (play begins at 1000 GMT)

Sara Bejlek (Czech Republic) v 3-Iga Swiatek (Poland)

7-Elina Svitolina (Ukraine) v Kaitlin Quevedo (Spain)

Valentin Royer (France) v 3-Novak Djokovic (Serbia)

Tomas Machac (Czech Republic) v 2-Alexander Zverev (Germany)

COURT SUZANNE LENGLEN (play begins at 0900 GMT)

Yuliia Starodubtseva (Ukraine) v 2-Elena Rybakina (Kazakhstan)

13-Jasmine Paolini (Italy) v Solana Sierra (Argentina)

15-Casper Ruud (Norway) v Hamad Medjedovic (Serbia)

COURT SIMONNE MATHIEU (play begins at 0900 GMT)

Caty McNally (U.S.) v 11-Belinda Bencic (Switzerland)

Camilo Ugo Carabelli (Argentina) v 11-Andrey Rublev

32-Ugo Humbert (France) v Quentin Halys (France)

8-Mirra Andreeva v Marina Bassols Ribera (Spain)

(Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Ken Ferris)