Kevin Anderson dealt with Laslo Đere to progress to the second round of the French Open at Roland Garros on Tuesday 29 September.
Anderson dispatched the Serbian in straight sets winning 6-2, 6-3, 6-4 to book a second round meeting with Đere’s compatriot and 22nd seed Dušan Lajović.
Anderson starts strong
Former South African number one broke Đere in the second, sixth and eighth games of the first set to claim it 6-2.
In the second Anderson seized the advantage when he broke in the second game but Đere fought back claiming his first break of the match to get on the board. He could not maintain parity though as Anderson immediately broke his serve again going on to win the set 6-3.
It took just one real mistake by Đere in the third set for Anderson to take the match by the scruff of its neck and cruise to a clinical victory.
Anderson saved a break point in the eighth match of the third set and then closed it out to to claim his first win on clay this season.
Djokovic eases into second round
Serbian world number one Novak Djokovic’s bid to become the first man in half a century to win all four Grand Slam titles twice got off to a straightforward start with a 6-0, 6-2, 6-3 victory over Sweden’s Mikael Ymer.
It was the world number one’s 32nd win in 33 matches in 2020, his only loss coming when he was defaulted from the US Open.
World number one Djokovic, bidding for a second French Open title and 18th career major, will play Lithuania’s Ricardas Berankis for a place in the last 32.
Selected French Open results
Men’s singles first round
Christian Garin (CHI x20) bt Philipp Kohlschreiber (GER) 6-4, 4-6, 6-1, 6-4
Marc Polmans (AUS) bt Ugo Humbert (FRA) 6-2, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3
Lloyd Harris (RSA) bt Alexei Popyrin (AUS) 6-4, 6-4, 7-6 (9/7)
Matteo Berrettini (ITA x7) bt Vasek Pospisil (CAN) 6-3, 6-1, 6-3
Dusan Lajovic (SRB x22) bt Gianluca Mager (ITA) 6-4, 7-6 (7/4), 4-6, 6-1
Kevin Anderson (RSA) bt Laslo Djere (SRB) 6-2, 6-3, 6-4
Alejandro Davidovich (ESP) bt Harold Mayot (FRA) 7-6 (7/5), 6-3, 7-5
Women’s singles first round
Nao Hibino (JPN) bt Marta Kostyuk (UKR) 6-4, 6-0
Clara Tauson (DEN) bt Jennifer Brady (USA x21) 6-4, 3-6, 9-7
Danielle Collins (USA) bt Monica Niculescu (ROU) 2-6, 6-2, 6-1
Elena Rybakina (KAZ x14) bt Sorana Cirstea (ROU) 6-0, 6-3
Irina Maria Bara (ROU) bt Donna Vekic (CRO x26) 6-3, 6-4
Alison Van Uytvanck (BEL) bt Rebecca Peterson (SWE) 2-6, 6-3, 6-1
Ana Bogdan (ROU) bt Timea Babos (HUN) 6-4, 6-2
Sofia Kenin (USA x4) bt Liudmila Samsonova (RUS) 6-4, 3-6, 6-3
Laura Siegemund (GER) bt Kristina Mladenovic (FRA) 7-5, 6-3
Jelena Ostapenko (LAT) bt Madison Brengle (USA) 6-2, 6-1
Karolina Pliskova (CZE x2) bt Mayar Sherif (EGY) 6-7 (9/11), 6-2, 6-4
