Struff outlasts Bublik in four sets, the third top-10 player out in the first round at Roland-Garros

Jan-Lennard Struff, the 35-year-old German world No. 80, beat Kazakhstan’s ninth seed Alexander Bublik 7-5, 6-7(6), 6-4, 7-5 on Tuesday afternoon, sending the third top-10 player out in the opening round of Roland-Garros, after Taylor Fritz fell to American wild card Nishesh Basavareddy 7-6(5), 7-6(5), 6-7(9), 6-1 on Sunday and Daniil Medvedev lost to Australian Adam Walton 6-2, 1-6, 6-1, 1-6, 6-4 earlier on Tuesday.

The contest had the look of a Bublik match throughout: 25 aces from the Kazakh, 10 double faults, the usual range of drop shots and serve-volley experiments. Struff hit 13 aces. But the steadier player won every pressure exchange that mattered. He held 83 per cent of his service games to Bublik’s 70 per cent, converted 7 of 19 break points to Bublik’s 4 of 11, and won 58 per cent of his second-serve points to the Kazakh’s 45 – the gap that does most of the work in a four-set contest with this distribution of serve hold.

Bublik still in the Top 10?

The numbers came out almost even – 153 points to 143 over a contest that crossed almost 300 points in total. Bublik finished with 51 unforced errors to Struff’s 45 and matched the German for winners (57 to 58).

Bublik, who reached his maiden Grand Slam quarter-final here last year before falling to Jannik Sinner, loses 360 ranking points but should keep his place inside the world’s top 10. Struff, who was ranked inside the world’s top 25 two years ago, moves into the second round to face the winner of Portugal’s Jaime Faria against Canadian Denis Shapovalov.

Men’s Singles, 1st round – Tuesday, May 26, 2026

• Court Philippe-Chatrier

S.Tsitsipas – A.Muller: 6-2, 3-0 (Ret.)

J.Sinner (1) vs C.Tabur (W) – UPCOMING

• Court Suzanne-Lenglen

A.Walton (W) – D.Medvedev (6): 6-2, 6-1, 6-4

F.Auger-Aliassime (4) vs D.Altmaier – UPCOMING

• Court Simonne-Mathieu

M.Kouame (W) – M.Cilic: 7⁷-6⁴, 6-2, 6-1

S.Ofner vs L.Darderi (14) – UPCOMING

• Court 14

V.Vacherot (16) – T.Faurel (Q): 6-3, 4-6, 6-3, 7⁸-6⁶

JL.Struff – A.Bublik (9): 7-5, 6⁶-7⁸, 6-4, 7-5

• Court 7

M.Arnaldi – T.Griekspoor (29): 6⁶-7¹¹, 7⁸-6⁶, 7-6⁷, 6-4

• Court 4

F.Diaz Acosta (Q) – Z.Zhang: 6-1, 6-4, 6-3

• Court 6

L.Tien (18) – C.Garin: 6-0, 2-6, 6-0, 6-2

J.Faria (Q) vs D.Shapovalov – UPCOMING

• Court 8

A.Tabilo – K.Majchrzak: 6-1, 6-3, 6-4

J.Fearnley vs JM.Cerundolo – UPCOMING

• Court 13

Z.Svajda – A.Popyrin: 3-6, 6-3, 7⁶-6³, 7-5

AD.Vallejo – C.Norrie (20): 7⁹-6⁷, 2-0 (Ret.)