French Open Midterm Grades: Top Seeds Soar, Former No. 1 Stumbles at Roland Garros

French Open Midterm Grades: Top Seeds Soar, Former No. 1 Stumbles at Roland Garros

It’s the middle of the 2025 French Open, and several storylines are unfolding at Roland Garros. Here’s a look at how some of the top seeds are performing and where a former No. 1 finds themselves:

Top Seeds Soaring:

  • Jannik Sinner (No. 1 seed): The reigning Australian Open champion continues his strong form, making a smooth run through the initial rounds. He appears to be a strong contender for his first French Open title.
  • Carlos Alcaraz (No. 2 seed): The defending champion has also navigated the early stages of the tournament successfully, demonstrating his prowess on the clay courts of Roland Garros.
  • Several other top-10 seeds have also progressed without major upsets, indicating a strong showing from the highest-ranked players.

Former No. 1 Stumbles:

  • Daniil Medvedev (No. 11 seed): The former world No. 1 and US Open champion suffered a surprising first-round exit.1 This early loss is a significant setback for him at a Grand Slam where he has not historically performed his best.

Other Notable Points:

  • Homegrown Hope Fades: Arthur Fils, a young French player who generated excitement, had to withdraw from the tournament due to injury.2
  • Strong American Contingent: The American men’s team is having its best showing in years at this stage of the French Open.
  • Teenage Talents Emerge: Several young players, including Joao Fonseca and Victoria Mboko, have shown promising performances.3
  • Tribute to Nadal: The tournament held a special retirement ceremony for Rafael Nadal, the 14-time French Open champion.4

In summary, the top seeds are generally meeting expectations, while there have been some notable early exits, including that of former No. 1 Daniil Medvedev.5 The tournament continues to deliver compelling matches and emerging narratives.