Daria Kasatkina Sizes Up 33C Heat — Roland Garros Results

Roland Garros results opened on Monday in 33C heat in Boulogne-Billancourt, and the temperature immediately changed how players had to approach their matches. Daria Kasatkina said she did not remember the last time it was so hot at Roland Garros, and the heat was expected to last through the first week.

Kasatkina on Roland Garros heat

“I don’t remember the last time it was so hot at Roland Garros,” Kasatkina said on Monday. She added, “Maybe one day, but we’re going to have it for the whole week or something.”

She described the adjustment as both mental and physical. “When you see the conditions for your next match, you are mentally preparing for that,” she said. “Then physically it still can be very, very tough.”

Kasatkina also pointed to what players felt during rallies. “During even our match you could see that both of us were going up and down, you know?” she said. “You can suddenly just get out of the bench and feel that your focus dropped. That’s part of the game.”

Iga Swiatek and faster clay

Iga Swiatek described the shift from the opening-day conditions to the hotter court as a major change in how the ball plays. “When we came here, it was like 16C and the ball was super heavy,” she said. “You could put your whole body and whole power into the ball, and you would still feel like you control it.”

With the temperature up, she said the surface changed with it. “Now you need much more, like, touch, and you can’t go too much,” Swiatek said. “Also, it’s a bit easier to play higher and with spin. The ball is bouncing off the court faster, so that gives you more advantage, I would say. But first you need to have control over the ball because it is playing faster in the air, and it’s easier to put it out.”

That gave Monday’s opening round a different feel from the cool start she described. Hotter conditions can make the French Open clay quicker, and that can bring serving, aggression and shorter points into play before the first week is over.

De Minaur handles Toby Samuel

Alex de Minaur used those conditions to his advantage in a 6-4, 6-4, 6-2 win over Toby Samuel. After the match, he said, “I’ve always preferred hot and lively conditions to chilly on a clay court, because I feel like I can bring a little bit more of my all-court tennis on this type of surface.”

“It’s easier to be a little bit more aggressive,” de Minaur said. “The ball is jumping. I don’t necessarily have to use as much spin or heaviness, and I can let the conditions do the job for me. And, also, it’s quite physical, right? I don’t mind the heat.”

Samuel’s loss came in his first appearance in the main draw of a grand slam, and it also came against a player ranked inside the top 150 for the first time. He had begun his journey on the professional circuit in 2024, and Monday gave him that step into the biggest stage under the harshest conditions of the day.

With the heat set to continue through the first week, the opening of Roland Garros is already asking players to handle a court that plays faster, bounces higher and leaves less margin on the ball. The ones who adapt quickest will have the cleaner path through Paris.