Of the 28 Frenchmen competing in the main draw, ten were still entered in the second round.

Léolia Jeanjean, Lucas Pouille, Corentin Moutet and Luca van Assche can still reach the third round on Wednesday, while Diane Parry, Océane Dodin, Gaël Monfils and Arthur Rinderknech will try to do so on Thursday.

Best French chance of the Parisian fortnight, Garcia saved eight match balls before losing on the ninth to the Russian Anna Blinkova (56th) 4-6, 6-3, 7-5.

Having reached the Top 5 thanks to a hair-raising second half of the season in 2022, including a title in Cincinnati, a semi-final at the US Open – her first Grand Slam – and a triumph at the Masters at the end of the season, Garcia (29), lost confidence, struggles to live up to her new status since the beginning of the year.

Shortly before Lyon, Humbert had surrendered against Italian Lorenzo Sonego (48th) 6-4, 6-3, 7-6 (7/3) in the warm atmosphere of Court 14 which succeeded so well to Lucas Pouille.

Revenge van Assche-Davidovich

The public played its part, but it was not enough to save Humbert and it is the 28-year-old Italian who will face the winner of the match between Corentin Moutet (61st) and Russian Andrey Rublev (7th).

France's Hugo Humbert against Italy's Lorenzo Sonego in the second round of Roland-Garros, on May 2, 31 in Paris © GEOFFROY VAN DER HASSELT / AFP

Humbert, 24, was never able to take his opponent's serve in the first two sets. When he finally did, at the very beginning of the third set, he could not prevent Sonego from recovering immediately.

Both men then kept their stakes until the tie break in which Sonego did not flinch.

Pouille, who rediscovered the taste of victory after dark years physically and psychologically, by winning his three qualifying rounds and then his first round of the main draw on Court N.14, was moved to the big court Suzanne-Lenglen for his second round Wednesday against Britain's Cameron Norrie (13th).

The latter has already played in the first round on the Lenglen where he dismissed another Frenchman, Benoît Paire, in five sets.

There will also be a scent of revenge on Court 14 at the end of the day when van Assche (82nd) will face the Spaniard Alejandro Davidovich (34th) who beat in the first round his friend Arthur Fils, depriving the tournament of an explosive duel between the two great hopes of French tennis.

For his part, Jeanjean (124th) must face the Russian Elina Avanesyan (134th) at the end of the program on Court Simonne-Mathieu.

© 2023 AFP