Europe 1 with AFP / Photo credit: 18:39 p.m., May 31, 2023, modified at 18:40 p.m., May 31, 2023

Caroline Garcia, French No. 1, and Ugo Humbert, French No. 1, were eliminated from the main draw of Roland-Garros in the second round on Tuesday. The Frenchwoman lost to Russia's Anna Blinkova while the Frenchman was soundly beaten in three sets by Italy's Lorenzo Sonego.

The two French number 1s Caroline Garcia (5th in the world) and Ugo Humbert (40th) were eliminated on Wednesday in the second round of Roland-Garros. 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.

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Eight match balls saved

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 semifinal 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. 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). 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.