South Africa’s Connor Doig into Roland Garros Round 2
· The South African
South Africa’s Connor Doig is through to the second round of the Roland Garros junior boys’ singles tournament.
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Doig was leading 6-1, 2-0 when American opponent Gavin Goode retired through injury, bringing an early end to the contest.
Struggling physically
While the scoreline suggested a comfortable victory, Doig said he quickly realised his opponent was struggling physically and adjusted his approach accordingly.
“I think I knew from the warm-up on court he was kind of injured,” Doig said.
“He was obviously walking funny. His neck was clearly really sore. I saw from the warm-up that it was not going to be about me playing my best, but rather playing smart and managing where my game was. I’m just happy to be in round two.”
The match nevertheless gave the South African an opportunity to settle into the conditions in Paris.
Having spent the past month competing on clay across Europe, including tournaments in Italy and Belgium, Doig believes he is becoming increasingly comfortable on the surface.
“The conditions were quite bouncy,” he said.
“The ball pops up quite a lot. It’s a little hard to tell where exactly I was today. I did what I needed to, and I didn’t really have to play very well. I guess it’s nice to kind of get a feel for the conditions.”
Embraced the demands of life
Away from the court, Doig has embraced the demands of life on the international junior circuit.
“I enjoy the travel a lot,” he said.
“I get to see a lot of the world, and it’s really nice to explore new places and try new things.”
Among those destinations, Melbourne remains his favourite.
The Australian city holds special memories after he and Bulgarian partner Dimitar Kisimov captured the Australian Open junior boys’ doubles title earlier this year.
That partnership could now create one of the most intriguing storylines of the tournament.
Doig’s next singles opponent will be ninth-seed Kisimov, who beat France’s Aaron Gabet 7-5, 6-1.
The Australian Open-winning doubles team-mates will be forced to put their friendship aside for a place in the third round.
“I guess we’ve got to put our friendship to the side,” Doig said.
“We obviously know each other really well. There’ll be that element where we’ll have to think a bit outside the box.”
Asked whether he would alter his tactics against his doubles partner, Doig smiled.
“I’ll have to bring a couple of different things to the table. The base game will be the same.”
Whatever happens in singles, the pair remain focused on another deep doubles run in Paris.
“We gel great,” Doig said.
“I definitely think we can make a good run here.”
Dave Marshall is reporting exclusively from the 2026 French Open at Roland-Garros for The South African.