Jannik Sinner delivered a commanding performance in his French Open opener on Tuesday, defeating French wildcard Clement Tabur 6-1, 6-3, 6-4 to underline his status as the tournament's overwhelming favorite. With defending champion Carlos Alcaraz sidelined by injury and Novak Djokovic nearing the twilight of his career, the top-seeded Italian is the heaviest odds-on favorite at a Grand Slam since Rafael Nadal at Roland Garros in 2009.
Sinner, seeking his first French Open title to complete a career Grand Slam, showed no signs of rust on Court Philippe Chatrier, the same court where he lost a five-set thriller to Alcaraz in last year's final despite holding three championship points. He overwhelmed Tabur, ranked 171st, with aggressive baseline play, striking winners while committing few unforced errors. Tabur never earned a break point as Sinner closed out the match in two hours and eight minutes.
The victory extended Sinner's winning streak to 30 matches, a run that includes clay-court titles in Monte Carlo, Madrid, and Rome. His recent triumph in Rome completed the 'career Golden Masters' — winning all nine ATP Masters 1000 events. If he triumphs in Paris, he would become only the 10th man to achieve the career Grand Slam, joining Alcaraz, who completed the feat at January's Australian Open.
Sinner's path has already opened up: sixth seed Daniil Medvedev and ninth seed Alexander Bublik were upset in the first round, while fourth seed Felix Auger-Aliassime — the highest-ranked player remaining in Sinner's half — needed a fifth-set tiebreak to advance. Sinner has won all five of his previous meetings with the Canadian.
Next up for the world number one is Argentina's Juan Manuel Cerundolo, ranked 56th, who advanced by defeating Britain's Jacob Fearnley.