Grigor Dimitrov adapted well to the challenge of facing a late replacement in the draw on Sunday, beating lucky loser Mohamed Safwat 6-1, 6-4, 7-6(1) to reach the second round at Roland Garros.

Dimitrov had prepared to face Viktor Troicki in the opening match of the tournament on Philippe-Chatrier Court before the Serb withdrew with lower back pain, handing Egypt’s Safwat a place in the main draw. Safwat, the first Egyptian man to compete at a Grand Slam since Tamer El Sawy at the 1996 US Open, handled the occasion well, testing the World No. 5 after a slow start.

The fourth seed hit 31 winners and won 88 per cent of first-serve points to snap a three-match losing streak after just over two hours. Dimitrov entered Roland Garros after opening-match losses at ATP World Tour Masters 1000 events in Madrid (l. to Raonic) and Rome (l. to Nishikori).

Dimitrov awaits the winner of the first-round encounter between Chile’s Nicolas Jarry and Jared Donaldson. Dimitrov is yet to meet either player on the ATP World Tour.

Dimitrov controlled the opening set from the baseline, hitting with greater power than his opponent off both wings to take a one-set lead after 22 minutes. The reigning Nitto ATP Finals champion dropped just eight points in the opener, taking charge of important points on his forehand side to outmanoeuvre the lucky loser.

The second set appeared to be following the same pattern, with Dimitrov, once again, using his forehand to great effect to secure an early break. But Safwat rallied, after taking a medical time-out at a set and 4-1 down, to come to within a point of levelling proceedings at 4-4. Dimitrov saved break point, taking the initiative with a strong forehand before finishing at the net, to maintain his advantage before sealing the set with a composed hold to love two games later.

The Egyptian carried his improved level into the third set, bravely saving break points at 3-3 and 4-4 to keep pace with Dimitrov before reaching a tie-break. At that point, Dimitrov rediscovered his first-set form, dominating with the forehand to race to the finish line.

Did You Know?
Grigor Dimitrov is now one victory away from his 50th Grand Slam match win (49-30). The 27-year-old has won 20 matches at the Australian Open (20-8), six at Roland Garros (6-7), 15 at The Championships (15-8) and eight at the US Open (8-7).

Marton Fucsovics clinched his first ATP World Tour title on Saturday, beating Germany’s Peter Gojowczyk 6-2, 6-2 at the Banque Eric Sturdza Geneva Open. The 26-year-old dropped just four games to become the first Hungarian to win a tour-level title since former World No. 12 Balazs Taroczy in 1982 (Hilversum) and will make his debut inside the Top 50 of the ATP Rankings on Monday 26 May.

Fucsovics is the seventh first-time winner on the ATP World Tour this season, which equals the total number of maiden titlists throughout the 2017 season.

First-Time ATP World Tour Champions In 2018

After the 67-minute triumph, Fucsovics spoke to ATPWorldTour.com:

How does it feel to become a first-time ATP World Tour champion?
[It is a] great feeling. It is good to experience it. I was always dreaming about it and finally I achieved it.

What was your approach heading into today’s final?
I was very confident before the match. I was feeling the ball very well all week. I beat good players. I beat Wawrinka in the quarter-finals and I beat Johnson from a set and 3-0 down. I was very confident, I came into the match with a lot of energy. I really wanted to win this title.

You only lost one set en route to the title, what did you do so well this week?
I think I did everything well. I was serving very well, the court fitted to my game very well. I really liked the ball. I could use my strategy to hit big winners, come in to the net and play aggressively; that was the key I think.

You are the first Hungarian champion on the ATP World Tour since Balazs Taroczy in 1982, how does that feel?
It is special for me. He was the last one and it was a long time ago. Tennis was not the top sport in Hungary and now I am a Top 50 player so hopefully it will be even more popular in Hungary.

Now you are in the Top 50 of the ATP Rankings, what are your goals for the rest of the season?
My goal was to stay in the Top 100 at the end of the year, now I am in the Top 50. My biggest goals and dreams [are] to be a Top 10 player or… win a Grand Slam.

You started the 2018 season reaching a final on the ATP Challenger Tour in Canberra before making the fourth round at the Australian Open, what did that good start do for your confidence?
I had a good preparation working with my coach day-by-day. I started the year with the No. 85 ranking and after the Australian Open I was No. 63, now I [will be] No. 45. We are working day-by-day. I had a very bad start to the clay season, but at the end it ended up [going] well.

Who are the people that helped you get to this level that you are at now and who would you like to thank?
My coach. He helped me a lot, he changed my mind. I was No. 270 when we started to work together and now I am a Top 50 player; big thanks to Attila [Savolt]. My family who were always supporting me, even in the hard times. My fiancee who came into my life two years ago. My manager, my friends, my fitness coach and my team who were working with me day-by-day.

Which ATP World Tour players did you look up to when you were younger and who did you admire growing up?
I really liked the Swiss players. Federer was always my idol and then I started to like Wawrinka. That is why it is a little bit special for me to win here.

When you are not on the tennis court, what are your interests besides tennis?
I like to stay at home and play with my dog, go to the cinema, relax at home and hang out with friends.

There will be no shortage of star power on display as the second Grand Slam of the year kicks off on Sunday at Roland Garros.

Top 10 stars Alexander Zverev, Grigor Dimitrov and David Goffin join #NextGenATP talents Taylor Fritz and Corentin Moutet and home favourites Gael Monfils and Lucas Pouille on a loaded Day One in Paris. Also in action is an in-form Kei Nishikori, who enters as the 19th seed and is poised to make a deep run on the heels of a strong clay-court campaign on the ATP World Tour.

The Japanese star is hoping to continue his return to top form after registering impressive ATP World Tour Masters 1000 results in Monte-Carlo and Rome. A pair of Top 5 wins – over Zverev and Marin Cilic – saw him surge to the final at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters, which was followed by another signature victory over World No. 4 Dimitrov at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia.

A quarter-finalist at Roland Garros last year, the 28-year-old will be looking to build on a 15-7 record at the clay-court major. He opens against local wild card Maxime Janvier in the second match on Court 1. One of 15 Frenchmen in the main draw, Janvier is making his Grand Slam debut.

Meanwhile, the first match of the tournament on Court Philippe-Chatrier will be fourth seed Dimitrov against Viktor Troicki. A rematch of the 2016 Sydney final, won by the Serbian, it will be their sixth FedEx ATP Head2Head encounter. Dimitrov leads 3-2.

With three straight defeats, the World No. 5 is struggling to find his feet on the clay, but will be buoyed by a pair of deep runs in Monte-Carlo and Barcelona. He scored his first Top 10 win of the year (in a completed match) over Goffin en route to the semis in the Principality. 

Dimitrov is trying to recapture the momentum from a dominant finish to the 2017 season, when he lifted the trophy at the Nitto ATP Finals. Currently sitting in 10th place in the ATP Race To London,  the Bulgarian will look to a strong campaign on the terre battue in hopes of boosting his chances of returning to The O2. He has a tricky path in Paris, potentially facing either Nicolas Jarry or Jared Donaldson in the second round, with 2016 champion Novak Djokovic also in his section.

Concluding the day on Court Suzanne-Lenglen is second seed Zverev, who rides into Roland Garros on a wave of momentum following consecutive titles in Munich and Madrid and a final appearance in Rome. Despite his wealth of success at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 level – reaching five of the past 10 finals – the German remains in search of his first Grand Slam quarter-final.

Five First-Round Matches To Watch

The leader in tour-level match wins (30) in 2018 and the top player in the ATP Race To London, Zverev is hoping his recent success will translate to the second major of the year. He opens against Ricardas Berankis, with 2015 champion Stan Wawrinka, top Frenchman Lucas Pouille and unseeded threats Cameron Norrie, Peter Gojowczyk and Karen Khachanov all standing in his way of reaching his first quarter-final.

Joining Dimitrov and Zverev on the two main show courts are French stalwarts Pouille and Monfils. Pouille faces Daniil Medvedev third on Chatrier, while Monfils will open his 12th Roland Garros bid against 19-year-old wild card Elliot Benchetrit on Lenglen. Making his Grand Slam debut, the teen is coming off a quarter-final appearance at the ATP Challenger Tour event in Bordeaux as a qualifier.

In one of the most intriguing first-round encounters, another #NextGenATP Frenchman, 19-year-old Corentin Moutet, battles big-serving 39-year-old Ivo Karlovic. With a 20-year age difference, they are the youngest and oldest players in the draw. At No. 143 in the ATP Rankings, Moutet is closing in on the Top 100. He defeated Karlovic in a marathon 7-5, 6-7(3), 7-6(6) affair on the clay of Quito in February, en route to his first ATP World Tour quarter-final.

In other action, Fritz faces Argentina’s Guido Andreozzi in his second appearance in Paris. The 20-year-old enters with a surge of confidence following a semi-final showing in Houston and quarter-final finish in Lyon, where he earned a straight-set upset of Jack Sock. 

Another highly anticipated match-up features Fernando Verdasco against Yoshihito Nishioka on Court 18, with the Spaniard making his 60th consecutive Grand Slam appearance. He will face a stern test in Nishioka, who is thriving in his return from ACL surgery. The 22-year-old Japanese lifted the trophy at the ATP Challenger Tour event in Gimcheon, Korea, three weeks ago.

Seeds in Action on Day 1…