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Roland Garros 2025 is officially underway, and Italian tennis is once again in the spotlight. Lorenzo Musetti opened his campaign in style, defeating Germany’s Yannick Hanfmann 7-5, 6-2, 6-0 in a match that quickly turned into a one-sided affair. Musetti dominated behind his serve, winning 83% of his service points and not facing a single break point, overwhelming Hanfmann with a clinical display in the latter sets.
There was no such joy for Lorenzo Sonego, who faced a tough first-round test against 13th seed Ben Shelton. The American took the opening set 6-4, but Sonego rallied to claim the next two sets 6-4, 6-3. However, Shelton surged back in the fourth and fifth sets, sealing the win 6-2, 6-3 to move into the second round.
Jasmine Paolini, fresh off her title run in Rome and last year’s Roland Garros finalist, had to dig deep to survive her opening match against Yue Yuan. The Italian breezed through the first set 6-1, but suffered a prolonged lapse that allowed the Chinese player to snatch the second set 6-4. Paolini then fell behind 3-2 in the decider, before rallying with four straight games to close out the win and avoid an early exit.
Italy’s top names are off to a mixed start in Paris — with Musetti and Paolini marching on, and Sonego heading home after a five-set battle.
