Brazilian qualifier Thiago Seyboth Wild upset World No. 2 Daniil Medvedev, emerging victorious 7-6(5), 6-7(6), 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 after four hours and 15 minutes to advance to the second round at the clay-court Slam.
In his on-court interview, he asserted: “I have watched Daniil play for my entire junior career, up until today. Playing on this court against this kind of player and beating him is a dream come true.”
Adding: “Walking on court, I just wanted to get to the net as much as possible and use my forehand against his, and it worked pretty well.”
The relentless 23-year-old tactics halted Medvedev’s dream run on red clay, which only last week saw him lift the Internazionali d’Italia trophy in Rome for the first time in his career.
He finished with 69 winners to 77 unforced errors, winning 38 of 55 net approaches, converting 7/19 of his breakpoint opportunities.
In addition, he won 66 percent of the first-serve points.
The Match as It Happened
Seyboth Wild and the Moscow native took the Court Philippe-Chatrier to start their campaigns at Roland Garros on Tuesday morning, a matchup that saw the former seizing his chances to prevail over the favorite.
Assessing the top encounter, he commented: “It was pretty tough. I started cramping in the second set. I did my best and tried to play my best tennis, and it worked. I am really happy with the way I played.”
The Brazilian eased to a set lead, clinching the opener with a 7-6(5) win in 67 minutes.
Building momentum, he forced the former world number one to battle through an intense second set, which unfolded into a tiebreaker, decided by small margins on Medvedev’s side.
The 20-time ATP titlist stepped up to the challenge proposed by his spirited adversary, taking a 7-6(6) victory in 65 minutes to pull even one set apiece.
Then, the 27-year-old broke to open a third set he dominated behind his serve, winning 82 percent of the first serve points to notch a 6-2 win with an ace.
Nonetheless, the Brazilian held his nerve, coming out strong to get back into contention, stealing the fourth and fifth sets to record the most important victory of his young career.
On Thursday, he will face Frenchman Quentin Halys or Argentine Guido Pella for a place in the third round at Roland Garros.