‘Nishesh, Nishesh’ echoes at Roland Garros after Indian-origin star wins in 1st round

“Nishesh! Nishesh!” rang around Court Suzanne Lenglen as the Paris crowd rose to greet Indian-American Nishesh Basavareddy after a stunning first-round upset at Roland Garros.

Paris clay has long been known for its theatre, but few on the grounds of Roland Garros could have predicted the dramatic scenario that unfolded on Sunday’s opening day. In what is already being hailed as the first monumental shock of the 2026 French Open, American wild card Basavareddy stunned his higher-ranked compatriot, seventh seed Taylor Fritz, in a grueling four-set battle: 7-6(5), 7-6(5), 6-7(9), 6-1.

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The 21-year-old former Stanford University star, who is ranked 148th in the world, was expected to be a manageable task for Fritz in the opening round. Instead, Basavareddy dismantled the former world number four with a dazzling display of tactical diversity that repeatedly unsettles the top ten with perfectly camouflaged drop shots and fearless shooting.

This was not Basavareddy’s first brush with the spotlight. At the beginning of this year IThe Indian-American made his mark on the big stage by pushing past his idol Novak Djokoviccv the opening round of the Australian Open in his Grand Slam debut. Although he eventually lost in four sets, he earned a standing ovation for his fearless tennis and remarkable resilience, with Djokovic later admitting he was pleasantly surprised by the youngster’s combativeness.

But Paris felt like a real breakthrough.

When Fritz finally ran out of steam in the fourth set and succumbed to Basavareddy’s relentless pressure, the atmosphere inside Suzanne Lenglen turned electric.

The notoriously demanding Paris crowd, taken aback by the underdogs’ audacity, received a thunderous standing ovation before breaking into chants of “Nishesh! Nishesh!” The arena turned into a cauldron of celebrations for the young Indian-American who had just secured the biggest win of his career – his first top 10 win – becoming the first American to do so at Roland Garros since 2000.

Basavareddy, clearly touched by the warmth of the French public, won over the crowd even more during his post-match interview on court.

He recognized the local custom and addressed them in French.

“Thank you all very much,” Basavareddy said with a smile as cheers erupted. “It’s amazing to play here in front of you. Thank you for all your support today.”

(Thank you all so much. It’s incredible to play here in front of you. Thank you for all your support today.)

Switching back to English, the youngster admitted he was still trying to process the moment.

“This is definitely the biggest win of my career,” he said.

“The first French Open main draw and all this support – it’s just unbelievable.

Before leaving to more waves of applause, Basavareddy made one last charming appeal to the Paris faithful.

“I’m going to need you all here again,” he said, looking ahead to the second round match.

Fritz arrived in Paris short for the match, having played just one tournament since Miami due to a knee injury, but Basavareddy took full advantage of the script’s history.

For a player who once had Djokovic’s photo as his WhatsApp picture, Paris may have just marked the moment when admiration gave way to arrival.

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Issued by:

Amar Panicker

Published on:

May 25, 2026 1:30 PM IST

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