Matt Cronin

Another good win by Alycia Parks, who beat Leylah Fernandez 6-4, 6-4. She has been pretty decent this year. Also, McCartney Kessler won it, being very aggressive. Who will stay in the second week in Paris? Not, easy.

Four American men won today on RG, with Frances Tiafoe, Ben Shelton, Alex Michelsen & Brandon Nakashima, but someone lost, such as Marcos Giron & Jenson Brooksby. That is the way to go. Shelton has not played well in the past 2 months, but now he is trying: “This is a privilege.”

Peyton Stearns has had a solid year, and today, she beat Sofia Kenin 6-3, 6-3, very solid, and consistent. She is more aggressive, and thoughtful, on the court. Rising?

What a marathon, when Hailey Baptiste outlasted the former champ Barbora Krejcikova 6-7 (7), 7-6 (6), 6-2. This year she has been much better, overall. She has some huge, shots. “I just refuse to let myself be the reason that I lose & really focus on being mentally strong."

The clay was never been great over the years, when Taylor Fritz lost 7-6(5), 7-6(5), 6-7(9), 6-1 against Nishesh Basavareddy. He hasn’t gone deep, at all, this year, as the No. 9 is struggling. “I am a  bit frustrating because a lot of times I'm not returning well."

A tough match, but the former No. 1, Novak Djokovic, won it today at RG, beating Giovanne Mpetshi Perricard 5-7, 7-5, 6-1, 6-4. He was up and down, but he hung in there, and right at the end, his famous backhand stood tall. Whether he can win it, it is too early to say.

What a terrific week when Emma Navarro beat Victoria Mboko 60 57 62 to win Strasbourg. She can really hustle. "She used it really effectively, intelligently and also executed really well. I came out in the 3rd set, 'I'm not gonna lose because of her drop shot.' I was on it."

Here it is, another young player, when Ignacio Buce beat Tommy Paul, 7-6, (6), 46 63 to win Hamburg. The Peruvian is very fast, and can focus it. “Things moved a little faster than expected. I did not think it would all happen so quickly, but I have enjoyed it enormously.”

@dougrobson A huge, bummer.

Another big loss in the small tennis reporting community. He'll be missed both as a person and writer: apnews.com/article/howard…

The 20-year-old American, Learner Tien, won the title, beating Mariano Navone 36 63 75, in Geneva. Last year, he was struggling, but Tien tried to be more powerful. He is steady, yet he can changed it up. At RG, he will try to into the corners. "It is a huge confidence boost.”

Yeah, but in return the leagues get control of player schedules and on-court sponsorships. Might cost top players more than the 3x prizemoney.

@scambers73 @HowardFendrich @tenniswriters A terrific person, I am so, sad. We went to many events over the years, especially at the four Slams, writing, talking, watching, and to laugh, when it was done. I will miss him, a lot.

Such incredibly sad news. @HowardFendrich was an ever-present on the tennis circuit, an absolute professional who set the standards for everyone else. And as my co-president at @tenniswriters, his experience and knowledge was priceless. A huge loss. RIP apnews.com/article/howard…

Here is the first round at RG, close, we would think, as Hailey Baptiste will face versus Barbora Krejcikova, a fine player, who won two Slams, excellent at the net, but she has been hurt this year. Baptiste has to be on it, all day, to do, it.

The Canadian, Victoria Mboko, is only 19-years-old, and this year, she has beaten a lot of very good players, such as Elena Rybakina, Jelena Ostapenko, Amanda Anisimova and Mirra Andreeva. She is revolting, fast. She beat Leylah Fernandez in Strasbourg. Can she win it, this week?

The “new” American, Michael Zheng, qualified at Roland Garros. Last year, he won a lot of matches, outside of the top 100, but still, he was super consistent. On clay, he goes understand what to do, each week. He will find out to hit it, even harder.

The Americans faced off, when Emma Navarro beat Iva Jovic 6-4, 4-6, 6-1. There were some wild points, down the line, and deep, crosscourt, also. It was cold in France, but they can ignored it, and Navarro cured it. Navarro struggled last year, but maybe she can jam it.

That was a huge win by Learner Tien, who beat Stefanos Tsitsipas 7-6, 7-6, yet Taylor Fritz lost against the Aussie, Alexei Popyrin, 64, 64. Popyrin can crack it, when he is on, but Fritz can be frustrated. At RG, they will have to be some long rallies, and change it, if you can.

At Switzerland, the former 3 time champ, lost today, with Stan Wawrinka, who will retire at the end of the year. He was so darn, good, over the years, with his amazing one-handed backhand. The American, Alex Michelsen, won the match, 7-6, 7-6. He can be patient, just Wawrinka.

Really? All of them will practice a lot, yet in Paris, Novak Djokovic and Alexander Zverev were there, on the court. Will one of them to win a Slam? Hmmm, as the No. 1 Jannik Sinner just won Madrid and Rome. The favorite.

The American, Ann Li, plays all the time, all over the world, each weeks, but she could lose, early. However, she can also win a bunch of matches. She beat Ekaterina Alexandrova 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 in France. “Yes, I'm a great believer in angels.”