Who knows what kind of surprises Zhang Zhizhen still has in store for the tennis world? The 26-year-old sensation scaled new heights on Monday when he became the first men's singles player from the Chinese mainland to secure a victory at the prestigious French Open. 

Zhang, the world number 71 making his fourth appearance at the Grand Slam, maintained his recent sparkling form and was leading Dusan Lajovic 6-1, 4-1 when the Serbian star, who has won two ATP singles titles in his career, retired with an injury.  

"It's incredibly challenging to win a five-set match at the Grand Slam," observed Zhang after his significant win. "It takes a great deal of physical stamina and mental strength to endure such a grueling test of endurance.  

"However, I was pleased with my condition today and felt that I was able to seize the key opportunities that presented themselves. This allowed me to come out on top and secure the victory."

"As I've said before, I'm not particularly fond of playing on clay courts," Zhang added. "But all of my best results have actually come from playing on this very surface. It just goes to show that how these things are often unpredictable and don't go according to plan."

Zhang's morale-boosting triumph came after his compatriots Wu Yibing and Shang Juncheng failed to survive the first round in Paris. Wu, China's highest-ranked male player at 54th, lost to Spainish veteran Roberto Bautista Agut, while 18-year-old Shang came up short against Peru's Juan Pablo Varillas.

Zhang has been experiencing a spectacular series of "firsts." He was the first male player from the Chinese mainland to earn a spot in the main draw at Wimbledon in the Open era. 

He was also the first male player from the Chinese mainland to break into the top 100, and the first to reach the fourth round of a Masters 1000 event.  

Next up for Zhang, who is getting used to making history, will be a much-anticipated encounter with Argentinian youngster Thiago Agustin Tirante, who stormed into the second round with a win over Botic van de Zandschulp of the Netherlands.

Earlier in the day, two-time French Open champion Novak Djokovic held off a late rally from American Aleksandar Kovacevic to clinch a 6-3, 6-2, 7-6 (7/1) opening victory. The 36-year-old legend, who aims for a men's record 23rd Grand Slam singles title, will next take on Hungarian Marton Fucsovics in the second round. 

Top seed Carlos Alcaraz also started his Roland Garros campaign with a win over Italian qualifier Flavio Cobolli 6-0, 6-2, 7-5. The 20-year-old Spanish wunderkind, who is the favorite to win the title in the absence of 14-time winner Rafael Nadal, will next face Japan's Taro Daniel.