The second day of the French Open (May 25) offered an absolute spectacle and proved exactly why clay is the most unpredictable surface in the world. We witnessed marathons, incredible comebacks, great performances by the favorites, but also several painful exits.
The main story of the day was undoubtedly the nighttime French derby on the “Philippe-Chatrier” stadium, which took the audience on a true rollercoaster ride of emotions.
Gaston Extinguishes Monfils’ Hopes in Five Sets!
Everyone eagerly anticipated the clash of two generations and the two biggest showmen of French tennis, Hugo Gaston and Gael Monfils. And they got a true classic!
The younger and faster Hugo Gaston opened the match forcefully and quickly took a 2-0 lead in sets (6-2, 6-3). However, carried by incredible support from the stands, the veteran Monfils found a “second youth” and in his signature, acrobatic style managed to tie the score at 2-2 in sets (6-3, 6-2).
When it seemed that the momentum had completely shifted to the more experienced Monfils, Gaston played unreal tennis in the deciding fifth set. He swept his rival off the court with a bagel (6-0) and celebrated a 3-2 (6-2, 6-3, 3-6, 2-6, 6-0) victory in a match that will be remembered for a long time.
In the other French derby, there was significantly less drama. Ugo Humbert routinely, without dropping a set, defeated his compatriot Adrian Mannarino 3-0 (6-3, 6-4, 6-3).
Ruud Survives Safiullin, Wawrinka Says Goodbye
Among the other tournament favorites, the Norwegian Casper Ruud had to sweat a lot. The dangerous Russian Roman Safiullin dragged him into a fifth set (in the fourth set, Ruud even lost with a bagel!), but the two-time Paris finalist ultimately showed his class and won 3-2 (6-2, 7-6, 5-7, 0-6, 6-2).
A major surprise was also the early elimination of the 2015 champion, Stan Wawrinka. The legendary Swiss was knocked out by the Dutchman Jesper De Jong with a 3-1 victory (6-3, 6-3, 3-6, 6-4).
On the other hand, Americans Ben Shelton and Tommy Paul, as well as the Russian Andrey Rublev and the Italian Matteo Berrettini, safely advanced to the next round of the competition.
All Completed Results (ATP Singles – May 25)
Here is the overview of all completed men’s singles matches on the second day of competition:
- H. Gaston – G. Monfils 3:2 (6-2, 6-3, 3-6, 2-6, 6-0)
- D. Merida Aguilar – B. Shelton 0:3 (3-6, 3-6, 4-6)
- Y. Wu – M. Giron 3:0 (7-5, 6-2, 6-4)
- F. Cobolli – A. Pellegrino 3:0 (6-4, 7-6, 6-3)
- F. Cerundolo – B. Van De Zandschulp 3:1 (6-3, 6-4, 6-7, 6-4)
- R. Collignon – A. Vukic 3:0 (6-3, 6-3, 7-6)
- C. Ruud – R. Safiullin 3:2 (6-2, 7-6, 5-7, 0-6, 6-2)
- I. Buse – A. Rublev 1:3 (3-6, 7-6, 3-6, 5-7)
- R. Hijikata – T. Paul 1:3 (6-4, 3-6, 5-7, 4-6)
- J. Munar – H. Hurkacz 1:3 (3-6, 3-6, 6-2, 3-6)
- U. Humbert – A. Mannarino 3:0 (6-3, 6-4, 6-3)
- E. Nava – C. Ugo Carabelli 0:3 (6-7, 6-7, 3-6)
- M. Navone – J. Brooksby 3:0 (6-4, 6-4, 6-4)
- T. Kokkinakis – T. Atmane 3:2 (6-7, 6-2, 4-6, 6-3, 7-5)
- R. Bautista – B. Nakashima 0:3 (2-6, 5-7, 2-6)
- S. Wawrinka – J. De Jong 1:3 (3-6, 3-6, 6-3, 4-6)
- A. Kovacevic – R. Jodar 0:3 (1-6, 0-6, 4-6)
- E. Spizzirri – F. Tiafoe 1:3 (3-6, 7-6, 4-6, 3-6)
- M. Fucsovics – M. Berrettini 1:3 (7-6, 2-6, 5-7, 1-6)
- L. van Assche – V. Gaubas 3:1 (6-4, 6-2, 2-6, 7-5)
- P. Carreno-Busta – J. Lehecka 3:0 (6-3, 7-6, 6-3)
- A. De Minaur – T. Samuel 3:0 (6-4, 6-4, 6-2)
- A. Rinderknech – J. Rodionov 3:0 (7-6, 6-2, 6-3)
- A. Shevchenko – A. Michelsen 0:3 (2-6, 4-6, 2-6)
Get ready for new tennis battles, because the tennis spectacle in Paris is just heating up! Follow all the latest analysis, previews, and results on our Roland Garros 2026 Ultimate Guide
