World No 2 Daniil Medvedev kicked-off his French Open campaign with a comfortable straight-sets win over Argentine Facundo Bagnis on Tuesday.
The Russian showed no signs of discomfort after his recent hernia operation and despite having played just one match on clay this year, he coasted to a 6-2, 6-2, 6-2 victory.
Medvedev's record on the clay of Roland Garros had been woeful, losing in the first round on his first four trips to Paris before reaching the quarter-finals in 2021.
He played his first clay event of 2022 last week in Geneva after a two-month break but lost in the opening round to Frenchman Richard Gasquet.
“I love Roland Garros, especially since last year,” Medvedev said after a victory that came on the back of 35 winners and eight breaks of serve. “Before that I don't know if I actually loved it given that I was out on the Sunday when the tournament was actually starting on the Monday.
“But now it's Tuesday and I'm still here. I've been well after my surgery, I didn't think I would be able to play on clay. But with the help of the doctors and the physios I've been able to be back on my feet to even play a match on clay last week and I'm 100 per cent ready to play Roland Garros.”
The 32-year-old Bagnis, who retired with injury during his first round in Geneva, had his right leg heavily taped and suffered a fall while serving during the second set. But he continued playing despite limping between points.
Medvedev will now face Laslo Djere for a place in the third round after the Serbian dispatched Lithuanian Ricardas Berankis 6-3, 6-3, 6-3.
Denis Shapovalov was a surprise first-round casualty early on Day 3 as the 14th seed lost 6-3, 6-1, 6-4, 7-6 to Danish teenager Holger Rune.
Rune, the boys champion in 2019 and a former world junior No 1, entered Paris at a career-high 40 having started 2021 outside of the top 400.
The win was Rune's second against a top-20 ranked player after the 19-year-old upset world No 3 Alexander Zverev last month in Munich, where he went on to win his first tour title. Rune was also a semi-finalist in Lyon last week.
"I'm really positive and working hard every day to get better. This is what you work for every day, to be able to play the biggest tournaments," said Hune in the post-match press conference.
"You know, I'm super happy and pleased to be in this position right now, to be able to have chances against these guys, to be able to, you know, win my first title in Munich was a huge step forward in my career."
Shapovalov committed 53 unforced errors in a tie played at breakneck speed. “I didn't really show up today but Holger played great tennis,” said the Canadian, a Wimbledon semi-finalist in 2021.
In the women's tournament, eighth seed Karolina Pliskova fought back from a set down to defeat home hope Tessah Andrianjafitrimo 2-6, 6-3, 6-1 and will take on Leolia Jeanjean of France.
Australian Open finalist Danielle Collins made a strong start to her Roland Garros campaign, with the American ninth seed cruising past lucky loser Viktoriya Tomova of Bulgaria 6-0, 6-4 to book her secoond-round spot.
Jelena Ostapenko, the 2017 champion, ended a five-match losing streak with a 6-1, 6-4 win over Lucia Bronzetti of Italy to advance to the next round where the Latvian will meet France's Alize Cornet, who saw off Japan's Misaki Doi 6-2, 6-0.
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Day 5, Abu Dhabi Test: At a glance
Moment of the day When Dilruwan Perera dismissed Yasir Shah to end Pakistan’s limp resistance, the Sri Lankans charged around the field with the fevered delirium of a side not used to winning. Trouble was, they had not. The delivery was deemed a no ball. Sri Lanka had a nervy wait, but it was merely a stay of execution for the beleaguered hosts.
Stat of the day – 5 Pakistan have lost all 10 wickets on the fifth day of a Test five times since the start of 2016. It is an alarming departure for a side who had apparently erased regular collapses from their resume. “The only thing I can say, it’s not a mitigating excuse at all, but that’s a young batting line up, obviously trying to find their way,” said Mickey Arthur, Pakistan’s coach.
The verdict Test matches in the UAE are known for speeding up on the last two days, but this was extreme. The first two innings of this Test took 11 sessions to complete. The remaining two were done in less than four. The nature of Pakistan’s capitulation at the end showed just how difficult the transition is going to be in the post Misbah-ul-Haq era.
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Farage on Muslim Brotherhood
Nigel Farage told Reform's annual conference that the party will proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood if he becomes Prime Minister.
"We will stop dangerous organisations with links to terrorism operating in our country," he said. "Quite why we've been so gutless about this – both Labour and Conservative – I don't know.
“All across the Middle East, countries have banned and proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood as a dangerous organisation. We will do the very same.”
It is 10 years since a ground-breaking report into the Muslim Brotherhood by Sir John Jenkins.
Among the former diplomat's findings was an assessment that “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” has “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
The prime minister at the time, David Cameron, who commissioned the report, said membership or association with the Muslim Brotherhood was a "possible indicator of extremism" but it would not be banned.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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