The Latest: ’19 US Open champ Andreescu out in French 1st Rd

PARIS — The Latest on the French Open (all times local):

___

4:55 p.m.

Bianca Andreescu, the 2019 U.S. Open champion, is out of the French Open in the first round after losing a 9-7 third set.

The sixth-seeded Andreescu’s second appearance in the main draw at Roland Garros ended with a 6-7 (1), 7-6 (2), 9-7 defeat against 85th-ranked Tamara Zidansek of Slovenia.

Andreescu withdrew before her quarterfinal last week in Strasbourg with an abdominal injury.

Zidansek had been 0-2 at the French Open.

___

4:10 p.m.

At his fifth attempt, Daniil Medvedev has finally won a match at Roland Garros.

The second-seeded Russian, who lost in the first round on each of his four previous appearances on the Parisian red clay, claimed a maiden win at the Grand Slam event by defeating Alexander Bublik 6-3, 6-3, 7-5.

Medvedev has often struggled on the slow surface — he has a 12-20 record on clay — and much prefers hard courts. He holds a 148-59 record on hard and has won all his 10 titles on the fast surface.

During his on-court interview, Medvedev told the crowd he feels the balls used in Paris suit his game really well.

“Since I arrived here I’m feeling really well, I can almost play as if on hard courts,” he said. “Hopefully I can achieve something big.”

A two-time Grand slam runner-up, Medvedev is bidding to become the third Russian man to win a major after Yevgeny Kafelnikov and Marat Safin.

___

2:45 p.m.

Italian rising star Jannik Sinner saved a match point in his opening match at the French Open before rallying past Frenchman Pierre-Hugues Herbert 6-1, 4-6, 6-7 (4), 7-5, 6-4.

The 18th-seeded teenager was on the verge of a shock exit at Roland Garros, a year after making it to the quarterfinals on his debut on the Parisian clay. But Herbert could not seize his chance, shanking a shot wide at 4-5, 30-40 in the fourth set.

That proved to be a turning point as Sinner finally held, broke, and sealed the set. Herbert’s missed backhand volley then gave Sinner an early break in the decider and the Italian prevailed with his deep groundstrokes.

It was the second meeting between the pair. Sinner had dropped only four games the last time they met, in a best-of-three-set match. This contest was more closely contested as Herbert, who is also an accomplished doubles player, often tried his luck at the net and managed to put his rival on the backfoot during long spells of playing with his aggressive approach.

A relieved Sinner said: “It’s a crazy sport and I’m happy it went my way.”

___

2 p.m.

Defending French Open champion Iga Swiatek has picked up right where she left off last year in winning the title: running yet another opponent this way and that on the red clay of Roland Garros in a straight-set victory.

Her best friend on the tennis circuit, Kaja Juvan, was the victim on Court Philippe Chatrier on Monday as Swiatek emphatically kicked off her campaign to become the first woman since Justine Henin in 2007 to successfully defend the French Open title.

Playing on her 20th birthday, Swiatek treated herself to a 6-0, 7-5 victory — her eighth straight-set win in a row at Roland Garros, having also not dropped a set in winning last year as an unseeded 19-year-old.

___

11:00 a.m.

Evergreen 39-year-olds Serena Williams and Roger Federer will be attempting to roll back the years on Day 2 of the French Open, where first-round play is underway on the sun-kissed clay courts and Iga Swiatek will begin the defense of her title.

Federer, the oldest player in men’s singles this year, is scheduled for the third match on Court Philippe Chatrier. It will the first Grand Slam match since the 2020 Australian Open for the holder of 20 major titles, making a comeback from double surgery on his right knee.

Federer plays Denis Istomin from Uzbekistan. Istomin reached the main draw via the qualifying competition. He has not advanced beyond the second round in 10 previous Roland Garros appearances. Federer is seeded eighth this year.

Williams plays after Federer vs. Istomin, in the last match on Philippe Chatrier, not scheduled to start before 9 p.m. Matches at last year’s tournament — held exceptionally in autumn — also stretched late into the night on newly floodlit courts. But scheduled night sessions are a novelty this year at Roland Garros.

Williams, chasing a record-tying 24th Grand Slam singles title, plays Irina-Camelia Begu from Romania. Begu’s best result in nine previous appearances in Paris was reaching the fourth round in 2016.

Swiatek opens her title defense against Kaja Juvan of Slovenia, in the first match on Chatrier. Swiatek, who turned 20 on Monday, didn’t drop a set on her way to victory last year.

___

More AP Tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports