Paris, May 27 (H.S.): World No. 1 Jannik Sinner of Italy made a commanding start to his French Open 2026 campaign by defeating France’s Clément Tabur in straight sets, 6-1, 6-3, 6-4, to advance to the second round.

With two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz ruled out of the tournament due to injury, Sinner is being regarded as the leading contender for the title. In the match played on Court Philippe-Chatrier, the Italian star displayed aggressive tennis right from the outset and gave his opponent little opportunity to settle into the contest.

The 24-year-old Sinner entered the match riding a remarkable 29-match winning streak. During that run, he had dropped only three sets and had also achieved the milestone of completing all Masters 1000 titles earlier this month.

Sinner broke Tabur’s serve at the very beginning of the match to take a 2-0 lead. He then secured another break to extend the advantage to 4-1. With a powerful forehand winner, he comfortably claimed the opening set.

The Italian maintained complete control in the second set as well and won it without facing significant resistance.

In the third set, French player Clément Tabur produced several impressive shots and received tremendous support from the home crowd. Ranked 171st in the world, Tabur managed to put Sinner under pressure for a brief period.

However, Sinner quickly regained control of the match. Tabur was unable to withstand the precision of Sinner’s groundstrokes and his relentless attacking game for long.

After the victory, Jannik Sinner said, “I am extremely happy to be back here. I have many wonderful memories associated with this court. First-round matches are never easy.”

Thanking the French spectators, he added, “Thank you for the support. I know I was playing against a French player, yet the crowd remained fair.”

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar