Grigor Dimitrov, No.11 seed, eased past Frenchman Stephane Robert in straight sets to reach the second round at Roland-Garros for the first time since 2013.
There was little doubt that at the age of 37, Stéphane Robert would walk on to Philippe-Chatrier Court in front of the home crowd on the first day of Roland-Garros 2017 ready to give it a go. No matter that he was up against Grigor Dimitrov, the No.11 seed who is perennially trumpeted as being on the cusp of fulfilling his prodigious talent - and whose last Grand Slam appearance was as the dignified loser in an epic five-setter against Rafael Nadal in their Australian Open semi-final.
The gregarious Robert, ranked No.113 in the world, likes to describe his style as “casino tennis” – “hitting crazy shots, gambling with big shots and closing my eyes just hoping the ball will go in.” With that approach, the Frenchman had nothing to lose.
Alas, for the right-hander from the Loiret departement in north-central France, he needed a more rigorous game plan to counter the Bulgarian who seemed determined to end his dismal run of first-round defeats at Roland-Garros and did so emphatically in straight sets: 6-2, 6-3, 6-4.
The bearded Robert arrived on court in his lucky white cap, dark underwear visible beneath white shorts, and a baggy, beach-vibe T-shirt in tune with his happy-go-lucky stance as a backpacking player who uses his tennis talent to travel the world. Dimitrov, in contrast - oblivious to the 32-degrees Celcius temperature and high humidity - walked out in a long-sleeved black jacket as cool as a cornichon.
Having won just two of his six matches on clay this year, the 26-year-old from Haskovo was on a mission and, as sure as the trademark winning backhands he directed down the line, he won the first set swiftly, taking advantage of each break point. Throughout the match Dimitrov struggled more with the accuracy of his first serve than anything his opponent shot back at him.
With the No.11 seed in control, the crowd clapped, whistled and erupted with sporadic calls of “Allez Stéphane” to hearten the man caught in a barrage of all-court prowess. Clay can be a great leveler, but not today. It may be Robert’s favoured surface - as a qualifier here in 2011, he beat sixth seed Tomas Berdych in five sets in the first round - and Dimitrov may have suffered a hat-trick of first-hurdle falls here, but there is a reason Dimitrov is hovering outside the world's top 10 and it was spelt out to Robert and his home support today.
Having fallen once to a local favourite in the first round here (Jérémy Chardy in 2011) and with a humble third-round appearance standing as his best result at Roland-Garros, Dimitrov was clearly determined to remain on track to meet Milos Raonic in the fourth round. Next up, though, he meets either Tommy Robredo, the Spaniard who has a 3-1 head-to-head advantage over him, including two win on clay, or Great Britain's Dan Evans.
But one match at a time. "The last time I won a match here was a couple of years ago so I am pretty pleased to come out here in front of you guys and play on centre court," he said after hugging Robert at the net. "It's a beautiful Sunday. I know what it is to play at home and be a favourite. It was a good test. I have known Stephane for good few years, we are friends, we have practiced together.
"I was just focused on winning the match.”
