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Thursday, November 12, 2026Nov 12

Rain greets French Open start; Kvitova, Nishikori scheduled

People stroll under umbrellas in the alleys of the Roland Garros stadium before the first round matches of the French Open tennis tournament, Sunday, May 22, 2016 in Paris.  (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)
People stroll under umbrellas in the alleys of the Roland Garros stadium before the first round matches of the French Open tennis tournament, Sunday, May 22, 2016 in Paris. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant) People stroll under umbrellas in the alleys of the Roland Garros stadium before the first round matches of the French Open tennis tournament, Sunday, May 22, 2016 in Paris. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

PARIS (AP) – Despite rain much of the morning, the French Open has started.

The forecast calls for showers on Sunday, but a break in the weather allowed two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova onto Court Philippe Chatrier to face 59th-ranked Danka Kovinic of Montenegro in a first-round match.

Other players scheduled to play on Day 1 of the clay-court tournament include 2014 U.S. Open runner-up Kei Nishikori, eighth-seeded Milos Raonic, and 2015 Wimbledon finalist Garbine Muguruza.

The French Open is the only Grand Slam tournament that begins on a Sunday.

About six months after the deadly attacks in Paris, heightened security at Roland Garros was noticeable, including extra bag checks and patdowns that led to longer-than-usual waits at the entrance gates.