Tennis, French Open: Naomi Osaka, Carlos Alcaraz advance; Andy Murray exits in opening round

Naomi Osaka swept to her first victory at the French Open in three years on Sunday, setting up a potential showdown with Iga Swiatek, as Carlos Alcaraz maintained his record of never losing in the first round of a Grand Slam.

However, Andy Murray’s French Open career was ruthlessly ended in straight sets by fellow three-time major winner and 2015 champion Stan Wawrinka.

The 39-year-old Swiss hailed his beaten rival as a “great champion” as the former world number one bid adieu to the tournament ahead of his expected retirement later in the summer.

Osaka, a four-time major winner who has yet to get past the third round in Paris, needed three sets to defeat Italy's 48th-ranked Lucia Bronzetti on the showpiece Court Philippe Chatrier, 6-1, 4-6, 7-5.

The 26-year-old fired 31 winners, including six aces, and 45 unforced errors in a match where she gave up a 4-0 lead in the decider before finding herself 5-4 down.

However, she rallied strongly to register her first win at a Grand Slam since the 2022 Australian Open.

“It feels really nice to be back and I'm just really grateful to be here in front of everybody,” said Osaka.

The Japanese star, a former world number one now at 134 in the rankings, has endured a...

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