French Open
Nadal and Djokovic cruise through in Paris
Reigning women’s champion Garbine Muguruza triumphs over Francesca Schiavone at Roland Garros
Paris — Rafael Nadal launched his pursuit of a record 10th French Open title in convincing fashion, while defending champion Novak Djokovic eased to victory under the gaze of new coach Andre Agassi. Reigning women’s champion Garbine Muguruza began her Roland Garros defence with a straight-sets triumph over 2010 winner Francesca Schiavone. Nadal, who was forced to withdraw before the third round in 2016 with a wrist injury, brushed aside 45th-ranked Benoit Paire 6-1 6-4 6-1 inside two hours. "I’m very happy to be back here after what happened last year. It’s great to feel the support," Nadal said. Nadal broke Frenchman Paire eight times and recovered from a slight second-set wobble when he dropped serve twice in a row to surge into a round two meeting with Dutchman Robin Haase. "[I’m] happy for the victory. [It] was not an easy opponent in the first round. He’s an uncomfortable opponent that already had some good victories this year," added Nadal. Title holder Djokovic strolled throu...
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