French Open 2026 Day Two Recap

Day two at Roland Garros brought a mix of strong favorites advancing, five-set battles and significant emotional moments on clay.

Most notably, it marked the likely final Roland Garros appearances for two French favorites: Gael Monfils and Stan Wawrinka.

The 41-year-old Wawrinka received a warm, hearty send-off from the Parisian crowd after his first-round defeat, while Monfils also bowed out in the first round against Hugo Gaston in another five-setter.

On the competitive side, No. 5 seed Ben Shelton impressed in straight sets, Casper Ruud battled through a tough five-setter and 19-year-old Rafael Jodar turned heads with a dominant debut victory.

Here’s a closer look at the key matches from day two.

Day two French Open 2026 Round of 128 results

Key matches

Ben Shelton def. Daniel Merida 6-3 6-3 6-4

World No. 5 Ben Shelton made a strong statement in his opening match, dispatching Spain’s Daniel Merida in straight sets with a polished and powerful performance.

Shelton, who came to Paris with a modest 1-3 clay record since winning Munich, unleashed 35 winners and dominated behind her big serve (winning 86% of first-serve points). The American looked comfortable on Court Suzanne Lenglen, and he will be hoping to improve on his 4th round performance last year.

His next opponent will be Belgium’s Raphael Collignon, who also advanced comfortably, which could be interesting.

Casper Ruud def. Roman Safiullin 6-2 7-6(5) 5-7 0-6 6-2

Casper Ruud survived a five-set rollercoaster that lasted nearly four hours, overcoming physical struggles in the Paris heat to defeat qualifier Roman Safiullin.

The Norwegian cruised through the first two sets but then squandered five match points in the third, before collapsing physically in the fourth (losing 0-6). He admitted feeling dizzy and “terrible” but showed great mental resilience, regrouped and dominated the decider.

As a two-time former finalist, Ruud knows how to grind against Roland Garros and I like the fact that he is not a player who retires at short notice. He will next face Hamad Medjedovic, and he will need to recover quickly for that.

Rafael Jodar def. Aleksandar Kovacevic 6-1 6-0 6-4

19-year-old Rafael Jodar delivered one of the most impressive performances of the day in his Roland Garros debut, dismantling Aleksandar Kovacevic in just 94 minutes.

The Spaniard dropped just five matches in a display of relentless aggression and confidence, underlining why he has broken into the top 30 this season with strong results in Marrakech, Madrid and Rome.

Jodar improved to 16-3 on clay in 2026, and he is arguably the most dangerous young player in the draw.

Thanasi Kokkinakis def. Terence Atmane 6-7(5) 6-2 4-6 6-3 7-5

Thanasi Kokkinakis (ranked number 855) fought back from a break down in the fifth set to defeat home favorite Terence Atmane in a grueling four hour and 18 minute epic.

Kokkinakis is a bit of a forgotten man, having suffered so many injuries, including major chest surgery, and this was only his third tournament back.

The Australian always shows huge heart but is usually on the receiving end of tough losses (see his match against Murray in Australia), but his efforts were rewarded here, breaking Atmane as the Frenchman served out the match at 5-4 in the decider. He will now face Pablo Carreno Busta.

Pablo Carreno Busta def. Jiri Lehecka 6-3 7-6(3) 6-3

Seasoned Spaniard Pablo Carreno Busta produced an excellent straight-set upset over No. 12 seed Jiri Lehecka.

I didn’t see this one coming at all, but Carreno Busta looked sharp and in control throughout, using his clay-court nous to neutralize the Czech’s power.

I’ve said it a few times before: PCB looked like the heir to Nadal’s clay-court dominance when he first broke through on tour, but he never quite found that level. But he is still more than capable, as we saw today.

Highlights

French Open 2026 Day 3 Round of 128 matches