French Open 2026: Anisimova beats Rajaonah 6-3, 6-1 in Rd 1 comeback
Synopsis
Amanda Anisimova walked onto Court Suzanne-Lenglen for the first time in eight weeks — and looked it, briefly. Two early breaks down, she flipped the match entirely, winning 11 of 12 games to beat Rajaonah 6-3, 6-1. Her 15th French Open win doubles as a fitness test: the real question is whether her left wrist holds up against Grabher in round two.
Key Takeaways
Amanda Anisimova defeated Tiantsoa Rakotomanga Rajaonah 6-3, 6-1 on 25 May 2026 in the French Open first round.
Anisimova was returning from an eight-week left wrist injury that cost her the entire clay-court season before Roland Garros.
She won 11 of the next 12 games after a shaky start and claimed nearly 70% of points on her opponent's serve.
The win is her 15th career match victory at the French Open; she reached the semifinals there in 2019 .
She faces Austria's Julia Grabher in round two — also returning from a wrist injury and closing in on the WTA top 100 .
Amanda Anisimova shook off the rust of an eight-week injury absence to defeat France's Tiantsoa Rakotomanga Rajaonah 6-3, 6-1 on Monday, 25 May, advancing to the second round of the French Open 2026 at Roland Garros, Paris. The American's return from a left wrist injury — which had wiped out her entire clay-court season before Paris — was far from smooth early on, but she ultimately dominated to seal the contest in just one hour and nine minutes.
Shaky Start, Commanding Finish
Playing her first competitive match in two months, Anisimova struggled to find her footing on Court Suzanne-Lenglen through the opening five games. She dropped serve twice, committing double faults at 1-1 and 2-2 in the first set, and looked visibly uncomfortable during extended baseline exchanges.
The turnaround, however, was swift and emphatic. Anisimova rediscovered the aggressive, inside-the-baseline game that had carried her to the French Open semifinals in 2019 as a teenager, winning 11 of the next 12 games to close out the match. She won nearly 70 per cent of points on Rajaonah's serve across the match.
The Numbers Behind the Win
Anisimova finished with 24 winners and 24 unforced errors, but the split tells the real story: 14 of those errors came in the shaky opening set alone. Once she settled, her level was markedly superior. The victory is her 15th career match win at the French Open, and a significant confidence boost for the two-time Grand Slam finalist heading deeper into the draw.
Rajaonah's Promising but Brief Resistance
Tiantsoa Rakotomanga Rajaonah, 20, gave a creditable account of herself in the opening exchanges, exploiting Anisimova's uncertainty with spin-heavy patterns and strong defensive retrieval. The Frenchwoman, a left-hander who claimed her maiden WTA Tour title in Sao Paulo in September last year, arrived at Roland Garros having played just two previous Grand Slam main-draw matches — including a first-round loss to Aryna Sabalenka at the Australian Open earlier this season. She entered the tournament with a difficult 1-11 win-loss record in 2026.
Second-Round Test: Julia Grabher
Anisimova's next opponent is Austria's Julia Grabher, who defeated Slovak qualifier Rebecca Sramkova in straight sets to record her first Grand Slam match victory in two years — herself returning from a serious wrist injury. Grabher is closing in on a return to the WTA top 100 and carries strong clay-court credentials, having won 15 ITF clay titles during her career. The second-round clash shapes up as a contest between two players rebuilding form and confidence after injury.
Anisimova's ability to raise her level sharply mid-match will be tested against a more experienced opponent, and how her wrist holds up across back-to-back matches will be closely watched.
Point of View
But the first set was a reminder of how quickly ring rust can cost a player at a Grand Slam. The more important storyline is structural: she missed the entire clay season with a wrist injury, and clay is the surface that demands the most physical load on that joint. Winning in 69 minutes is ideal for load management, but Grabher — a grinder on clay with 15 ITF titles on the surface — will push this into a third set. How Anisimova's wrist responds to a longer match will tell us far more about her Roland Garros prospects than a one-sided second set against a player ranked outside the top 100.
NationPress
11 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What was the result of Anisimova's French Open 2026 first-round match?
Amanda Anisimova defeated France's Tiantsoa Rakotomanga Rajaonah 6-3, 6-1 on 25 May 2026 to advance to the second round of the French Open. She completed the match in one hour and nine minutes.
Why had Anisimova not played before the French Open 2026?
Anisimova had been sidelined for eight weeks due to a left wrist injury, which caused her to miss the entire clay-court season leading into Roland Garros. The French Open first round was her first competitive match during that stretch.
Who is Anisimova's second-round opponent at the French Open 2026?
Anisimova will face Austria's Julia Grabher in the second round. Grabher defeated Slovak qualifier Rebecca Sramkova in straight sets and is herself returning from a serious wrist injury, with 15 ITF clay titles to her name.
How did Anisimova turn the match around after a difficult start?
After dropping serve twice in the first five games, Anisimova sharpened her return game and began attacking from inside the baseline, winning 11 of the next 12 games. She won nearly 70 per cent of points on Rajaonah's serve across the match.
What is Anisimova's record at the French Open?
The victory was Anisimova's 15th career match win at the French Open. She is a two-time Grand Slam finalist and famously reached the Roland Garros semifinals in 2019 as a teenager.
