Ken Rosewall won the men’s singles title at the 1968 French Open, the first Grand Slam tournament of the Open Era.
Rosewall defeated fellow Australian Rod Laver in the final at Roland-Garros, winning 6–3, 6–1, 2–6, 6–2. The victory was especially significant because the tournament was the first Grand Slam event to admit professional players alongside amateurs. That change ended the long separation between the professional and amateur games and began the Open Era.
Rosewall was already an established champion before 1968. He had won the French title in 1953 and had collected major professional tournament victories during the years when professionals were barred from Grand Slam competition. His 1968 triumph therefore connected the pre-Open and Open eras of tennis.
The event was played on clay at Stade Roland-Garros in Paris. It is easy to misremember Rod Laver as the winner because he was the runner-up and later became the first man to complete a calendar-year Grand Slam in the Open Era, in 1969.