NINE AUSSIES IN SEARCH OF PROGRESSION ON DAY 2 AFTER ROUGH START IN PARIS

A maiden spot in the French Open second-round is at stake for Kimberly Birrell. (Getty/Silvia Lore)

A jam-packed Aussie schedule is set to grace Roland-Garros in the hope of securing wins on the board following a disheartening Day 1.

On opening day, a slight rain delay caused an unwanted inconvenience, but Tristan Schoolkate, Detanee Aiava and Rinky Hijikata were all outclassed in their matches.

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In their first French Open main draws, wildcards Schoolkate and Aiava couldn't win a set, falling 4-6 2-6 2-6 and 6-7 1-6 to Márton Fucsovics and Dayana Yastremska, respectively.

It was a bright start for Hijikata after leading by a set and a break, before Reilly Opelka settled into the conditions to blow the Aussie off the court, recording a 1-6 6-3 7-5 7-6(3) result.

Nine Australians are in action on Monday night and the early hours of Tuesday morning AEST, with an all-Aussie affair grabbing headlines.

Aussie men's singles matches - Day 2

Alexei Popyrin [25] v Yoshihito Nishioka (7pm AEST)

Jordan Thompson v Jiří Lehečka (Not before 8:40pm AEST)

Aleksandar Vukic v Karen Khachanov [24] (Not before 9:20)

Christopher O'Connell v Ugo Humbert [22] (Not before 11pm AEST)

It hasn't been an easy 2025 for Alexei Popyrin, losing seven first-round matches and unexpectedly parting ways with now former coach, Xavier Malisse.

But a positive quarter-final run in Monte-Carlo and two victories at last week's Geneva Open should offer the 25th seed confidence ahead of Roland-Garros.

However, Yoshihito Nishioka has won the pair's only meeting, which took place in Adelaide two years ago.

Jordan Thompson's injury struggles will be tested to the limit against the talented Jiří Lehečka. At the same time, Aleksandar Vukic will require one of the biggest performances of his career if he is to take down two-time Slam semi-finalist Karen Khachanov.

Meanwhile, the French crowd will no doubt be in full voice to support Ugo Humbert against Christopher O'Connell on Court 14.

Other notable men's matches - Day 2

Jannik Sinner [1] v Arthur Rinderknech

Carlos Alcaraz [2] v Guilio Zeppieri

Arthur Fils [14] v Nicolás Jarry

Stefanos Tsitsipas [20] v Tomás Martín Etcheverry

Aussie women's singles matches - Day 2

Maya Joint v Ajla Tomljanović

Kimberly Birrell v Jaqueline Cristian

Daria Kasatkina [17] v Kateřina Siniaková

Daria Saville v Madison Keys [7]

Only a few short days since Maya Joint and Ajla Tomljanović met for the first time, the duo will vie once again, but this time, for a second-round berth at a Grand Slam.

Tomljanović retired ill after losing the first set at the Morocco Open semi-finals, a WTA 250 event in which Joint went on to claim her maiden title.

Joint's opponent in the final, Jaqueline Cristian, will face world No.63 Kimberly Birrell, with the latter potentially turning to Joint for advice on how to take down the Romanian.

In her first Grand Slam entry as an Aussie, 17th seed Daria Kasatkina begins her campaign, while qualifier Daria Saville has an almighty challenge awaiting her against defending Australian Open champion Madison Keys.

Other notable women's matches - Day 2

Iga Świątek [5] v Rebecca Šramková

Paula Badosa [10] v Naomi Osaka

Elena Rybakina [12] v Julia Riera

Jeļena Ostapenko [21] v Polina Kudermetova

Catch all of the action live on Stan Sport and the Nine Network.

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