The 10 Biggest Upsets from Round 1 of French Open

The first round of the 2026 French Open is officially in the books, and there was no shortage of drama on the clay courts at Roland Garros. Even better, there were several upsets that have already reshaped the draws.

Below are five upsets from each of the men's and women's singles draws that stand out above the rest in terms of impacting the outcome of the tournament.

Kimberly Birrell def. [5] Jessica Pegula

Kimberly Birrell defeated the fifth-seeded Jessica Pegula in three sets: 1-6, 6-3, 6-3. After storming out to an early lead, Pegula looked unstoppable. The WTA World No. 83 lost more points than Pegula, but won the ones that mattered most. Birrell will face Oleksandra Oliynykova in the second round.

Camila Osorio def. [14] Ekaterina Alexandrova

Camila Osorio defeated the 14-seed Ekaterina Alexandrova in straight sets: 6-2, 6-4. It is almost hard to call this match an upset, as Osorio is enjoying a breakout season and Alexandrova has now lost four consecutive singles matches.

Maria Sakkari def. [12] Linda Noskova

Maria Sakkari defeated the 12-seed Linda Noskova in a hard-fought, straight-sets match: 7-5, 7-6 (3). After plummeting in the WTA Rankings, Sakkari continues to enjoy a strong season. Noskova is the latest top-tier player (including Iga Swiatek and Jasmine Paokini) to fall to the Greek star. Sakkari will face Claire Liu in the second round.

Maja Chwalinska def. Qinwen Zheng

Maja Chwalinska defeated Qinwen Zheng in straight sets: 6-4, 6-0. Zheng's tears of frustration in her post-match press conference said it all. Less than two years after winning gold in the Summer Olympics on Court Philippe-Chatrier, the Chinese superstar will now fall out of the top-100. Chwalinska will face the 23-seed Elise Mertens in the second round.

Alycia Parks def. [24] Leylah Fernandez

Alycia Parks defeated 24-seed Leylah Fernandez in straight sets: 6-4, 6-4. Unfortunately for Parks, she lost to Viktorija Golubic in the second round. But it was the American's first trip to the second round of Roland Garros since 2023.

Jan-Lennard Struff def. [9] Alexander Bublik

Jan-Lennard Struff defeated the ninth-seed Alexander Bublik in a tough four-setter: 7-5, 6-7(6), 6-4, 7-5. Bublik will lose ranking points after his quarterfinal run last year, and Struff will face Jaime Faria in the second round tomorrow.

Adolfo Daniel Vallejo def. [20] Cameron Norrie

Adolfo Daniel Vallejo defeated 20-seed Cameron Norrie in a shortened match: 7-6 (9-7) 2-0. Norrie had to retire from a match for the first time since 2014 due to a rib injury he sustained before the tournament. Vallejo will face Moise Kouame in the second round tomorrow.

Adam Walton def. [6] Daniil Medvedev

Adam Walton defeated sixth-seed Daniil Medvedev in a 3.5-hour match: 6-2, 1-6, 6-1, 1-6, 6-4. Medvedev has made no secret of the fact that he doesn't play well at Roland Garros, and this match adds to the sample size. Walton will face Zachary Svajda in the second round tomorrow.

Nishesh Basavareddy def. [7] Taylor Fritz

Nishesh Basavareddy defeated seventh-seed Taylor Fritz in four sets: 7-6(5), 7-6(5), 6-7(9), 6-1. Fritz did not blame his knee injury, but said Basavareddy's drop shots "cooked" him on the court. Basavareddy will face Alex Michelsen later today in the second round.

Pablo Carreno Busta def. [12] Jiri Lehecka

Pablo Carreno Busta defeated 12-seed Jiri Lehecka in straight sets: 6-3, 7-6(3), 6-3. It was Carreno Busta's first top-20 win in two years, placing him in the second round against Thanasi Kokkinakis.

Add us as a preferred source on Google