PARIS (AP) 鈥� Two-time reigning champion is out injured. Promising 21-year-old French player also pulled out with a physical issue. has been bothered for months by a right knee problem.
The list of candidates capable of challenging top-ranked , who enters the on a three-month-long 29-match winning streak, has been dwindling.
Enter , the 19-year-old Spaniard who has been making waves on the ATP Tour.
Jodar continued to impress in his Roland Garros debut, dropping just five games in a 6-1, 6-0, 6-4 rout of American opponent Aleksandar Kovacevic on Monday despite at the clay-court Grand Slam. The last man to concede fewer games in a French Open debut was , who allowed three to Robby Ginepri in 2005.
鈥淚 did the things very well from the start,鈥� Jodar said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 just my first year (on tour) and I鈥檓 experiencing a lot of things in these past few months.鈥�
Mostly, Jodar has been experiencing victories: He鈥檚 won 16 of his last 19 matches, raised a trophy on clay in Morocco, reached the semifinals in Barcelona and had a run to the quarterfinals in Madrid ended by Sinner.
A year ago, Jodar was ranked No. 707 and playing challengers 鈥� tennis鈥� minor leagues 鈥� in the U.S. after he competed at the University of Virginia. Now he鈥檚 No. 29 and is seeded 27th in Paris.
鈥淚t was obviously another chapter of my life but I think that chapter also helped me to develop a lot and to be a better player now,鈥� Jodar said.
Going to college also helped.
鈥淟iving there alone, it was great to develop and to do things by myself,鈥� Jodar said. 鈥淚t was a new chapter, new culture for me, actually a new life.鈥�
Jodar appears destined to become a top-10 player and a serious contender for the biggest trophies.
And Jodar is in the bottom half of the draw in Paris 鈥� meaning he could meet Sinner only in the final.
Swiatek making no assumptions
Four-time champion eliminated 136th-ranked debutant Emerson Jones 6-1, 6-2 in her opener.
The only real issue for the third-ranked Swiatek came when she needed a trainer to re-tape the middle finger on her tennis-playing right hand for an apparent blister after the first set.
Swiatek has not won a title on clay this season and recently made a coaching change. She hired Francisco Roig, who previously worked with 14-time French Open champion Rafael Nadal.
鈥淣othing comes easy,鈥� Swiatek said. 鈥淲ith more titles it鈥檚 even a bit harder because everyone expects you to be ready always and play perfectly. So you need to stay humble and not take anything for granted and work your way from the beginning of the tournament.鈥�
She improved to 28-1 in first-round matches at Grand Slams.
Also advancing were , who beat Veronika Erjavec 6-2, 6-2; and recent , who rallied past Anna Bondar 3-6, 6-1, 7-6 (3).
In men鈥檚 action, was beaten by Dutch qualifier Jesper de Jong 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 to end his 21st and last French Open.
Eighth-seeded Alex De Minaur defeated Toby Samuel 6-4, 6-4, 6-2.
___
AP tennis:
Copyright © 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
