Seven Americans win on Day 2 of French Open qualies

Team USA will have at least nine players in the second round of qualifying at the French Open after a successful day on the red Parisian clay saw seven more players book their spot in Round 2.

The top seed in both the men’s and women’s draws, Americans Tennys Sandgren and Bernarda Pera, claimed straight-sets victories, and five other U.S. women took one step closer to a spot in the main draw of Roland Garros, which gets underway Sunday.

Along with Monday’s winners—Bjorn Fratangelo and Marcos Giron—the U.S. will be well represented in the middle rounds of the draw.

On Tuesday, Sandgren beat Yosuke Watanuki of Japan, 6-2, 6-4, to set up a second-round clash with Mats Moraing of Germany on Wednesday, while Pera beat Alize Lim of France, 6-1, 6-3, to advance to play Kai-Lin Zhang of China.  

Joining the top seeds in Round 2 is former junior world No. 1 Whitney Osuigwe, who rallied to beat Myrtille Goerges of France, 2-6, 7-6, 7-5.

Georges led 3-2 and 6-5 in the second set and served for the match against Osuigwe. In the third, Georges again led, 3-0 and 5-4, but Osuigwe broke to love at 5-5 and then served it out. She faces fellow American Allie Kiick in the second round after Kiick defeated France’s Oceane Dodin, 6-0, 6-4.

In other action Tuesday, reigning French Open girls’ champion Coco Gauff won her first Grand Slam match with a 6-4, 6-4 victory over Ankita Raina of India, and Varvara Lepchenko edged Anna Kalinskaya of Russia, 7-6, 6-4.

Gauff plays Kaja Juvan of Slovenia on Thursday and remains on course to meet Pera in the final qualifying round. Lepchenko plays Romina Oprandi of Switzerland and could face No. 5 seed Heather Watson of Great Britain in the final round for a place in the main draw.

In the last match of the night, Sachia Vickery beat Claire Liu, 3-6, 6-4, 7-6, on her third match point. The deciding set contained a grueling 24-minute game at 4-4 in which Liu, who also failed to convert three match points in the tiebreak, held serve by saving eight break points. Vickery (pictured above) eventually prevailed despite winning just 8-of-24 break points and she'll play Liudmila Samsonova of Russia on Thursday.

Elsewhere in the men’s draw, No. 9 seed Ryan Harrison fell to Adam Pavlasek of the Czech Republic 7-6 in the decider and Chris Eubanks lost to 26th-seeded Pedro Martinez of Spain, 6-4, 6-4.  

Qualifying action continues Wednesday with the conclusion of the women’s first round and the start of the men’s second round.

Danielle Lao starts her qualifying campaign against Xiyu Wang of China, No. 6 seed Christina McHale faces countrywoman Francesca Di Lorenzo, and Robin Anderson meets No. 17 seed Barbora Krejcikova.

Sandgren returns to action against Moraing, No. 20 seed Fratangelo meets Elliot Benchetrit of France and Giron plays 19th-seeded Lukas Rosol of the Czech Republic.