Back in Roland Garros qualifying, Andreescu wins 6-0, 6-0 for first time

Playing her first Grand Slam qualifying event in six years, Bianca Andreescu was in no mood to hang around. The former US Open champion raced into the second round of Roland Garros qualifying, whitewashing China's Yao Xinxin 6-0, 6-0 in just 57 minutes.

The result was the first 6-0, 6-0 win of Andreescu's professional career. The last time she won a match 6-0, 6-0 at any level was in Junior Billie Jean King Cup in 2016 over Watsachol Sawatdee. Previously, she had notched two 6-0, 6-1 wins in professional events: over Ari Matsumoto in the first round of the 2018 Gifu ITF W25, and over Garbiñe Muguruza in the 2019 Indian Wells quarterfinals.

Andreescu last contested the preliminary rounds of a major at the 2019 Australian Open, where she qualified and reached the second round. She would end that season in the Top 5 as the reigning champion of Indian Wells, Toronto and the US Open, but has struggled with injury and illness since. This is just the fifth tournament of Andreescu's season following an appendectomy in February, and she is currently ranked No. 102. Last week, she reached the fourth round of Rome, notching two Top 20 wins over Donna Vekic and Elena Rybakina en route.

Andreescu has contested Roland Garros qualifying twice previously, falling to Tereza Smitkova in the 2017 first round and Richel Hogenkamp in the 2018 third round. Her best main-draw performances at the tournament to date are third-round finishes in 2023 and 2024.

There was a gulf in experience between Andreescu and Yao, the 21-year-old who notched her first tour-level win in Jiujiang last October and who was playing the first Grand Slam qualifying event of her career. The Canadian did not face game point in the first set, repeatedly exposing Yao's movement on clay with a series of drop shots. No. 261-ranked Yao improved in the second set, but could not take advantage of three points to hold serve.

"I felt really good coming here," said Andreescu afterwards. "It's the French open -- no matter what match you play in whatever draw, it's a very important match. I was very pleased with my attitude today."

Andreescu, the No. 17 seed in the qualifying draw, will next face former No. 56 Nao Hibino, who defeated Andrea Lazaro Garcia 7-6(4), 6-4. Elsewhere, Andreescu's Canadian compatriot and the partner with whom she won the 2017 Australian Open and Roland Garros girls' doubles titles, Carson Branstine, notched her first career major qualifying win 6-4, 6-2 over Whitney Osuigwe.

French wild cards thrill crowds with epic wins

Two of Day 1's longest matches were won by local wild cards who thrilled the Parisian crowd in a pair of rollercoaster epics. Margaux Rouvroy -- who previously upset Sofia Kenin in the 2023 qualifying first round -- needed 3 hours and 40 minutes to defeat Japan's Haruka Kaji 6-7(7), 7-5, 7-6[3], sinking to her knees after triumphing in a gruelling clay-court battle.

The No. 248-ranked Frenchwoman lost the first set after holding one set point in the tiebreak, was two points from defeat trailing 5-4 in the second set and held her first two match points at 5-4 in the decider before outlasting Kaji in the super-tiebreak.

Earlier, Carole Monnet had pulled off an unlikely comeback against Croatia's No. 11 seed Petra Martic. The 23-year-old trailed Martic by a set and 3-1, but reeled in the former quarterfinalist 2-6, 7-5, 7-5 in 2 hours and 35 minutes.

There was better fortune for Croatia in the second-longest match of Day 1, Jana Fett's 6-2, 4-6, 7-6[10] defeat of Priscilla Hon in 2 hours and 45 minutes. Fett came back from 3-0 down in the third set, and saved one match point in the super-tiebreak.

Other notable Day 1 qualifying wins

• Last year's junior champion, Tereza Valentova, marked her senior Grand Slam qualifying debut by racing past Arina Rodionova 6-2, 6-2 in 72 minutes;
• The top three seeds all advanced in straight sets: No. 1 Yuliia Starodubtseva over Hanne Vandewinkel 6-3, 6-1; No. 2 Dalma Galfi over Ana Bogdan 6-3, 6-4; and No. 3 Aliaksandra Sasnovich over Tatiana Prozorova 6-4, 6-3. Galfi has now won 16 of her last 18 matches dating back to March and including two WTA 125 titles in Oeiras and Vic;
• The three highest seeds to fall were Martic; No. 4 Aoi Ito, who lost 7-5 6-2 to Petra Marcinko after leading 5-3 in the first set and who has yet to win a match on clay above ITF W15 level; and No. 15 Harriet Dart, who was beaten 6-1, 6-2 in 64 minutes by Anastasiia Sobolieva. The result was 21-year-old Sobolieva's first career Grand Slam qualifying win, and extended Dart's losing streak to seven matches;
• Former semifinalist Tamara Zidansek eased past Dominika Salkova 6-1, 7-5, while last week's Trnava ITF W75 champion Tamara Korpatsch continued her strong form by beating Louisa Chirico 6-4, 4-6, 6-3;
• No. 14 seed Antonia Ruzic, fresh off her first WTA 1000 main-draw win in Rome, needed just 69 minutes to defeat Hina Inoue 6-1, 6-1.