The 2026 French Open delivered its first major shock on Sunday as American wild card Nishesh Basavareddy upset seventh-seeded Taylor Fritz in a thrilling first-round match on Court Suzanne-Lenglen.
The 21-year-old, ranked No. 148, secured a career-defining 7-6(5), 7-6(5), 6-7(9), 6-1 victory, becoming the first American to beat a top-10 opponent at Roland Garros since 2000.
Fritz, who arrived in Paris with limited match practice due to recent knee tendinitis struggled to contain Basavareddy’s strategic variety.
While the seventh seed managed to salvage a tight third set in a tiebreak, he eventually faded, allowing Basavareddy to dominate the fourth set.
“What a match. Taylor’s obviously a great player, so super happy to get through that, especially after losing the third set,” Basavareddy said following his debut win.
Fritz remained philosophical about the result noting, “I really don’t think my level was that bad to be honest. I wasn’t hitting some of the spots on my serve as good as I could have.”
While the defeat is a setback, Fritz viewed the early exit as an opportunity to continue his rehab, adding, “It is nice. I’m going to get to keep going back to the rehab and keep getting it better.”
