The curse of French Open five-setters struck again for Daniil Medvedev with the patchy sixth seed going out in his opening match on Tuesday 6-2, 1-6, 6-1, 1-6, 6-4.

Australian wildcard Adam Walton earned the victory, his first defeat of a top 10 player to hand Medvedev a fourth Paris loss in a five-set match which lasted for almost three and a half hours.

Medvedev, a Rome semi-finalist, committed 59 unforced errors and converted on only five of 21 break chances against his No. 97 opponent

“I managed to take the match (lead) when he didn’t play that well. That’s it. I didn’t manage to raise my level enough to win the whole match, and that’s why I lost,” he said.

“In tennis you need to adapt to the things, and sometimes I’m not good enough to adapt to it, and sometimes I am.”

Given his dismal record here, Medvedev remained reluctant to pinpoint a cause:

“I don’t want to find excuses. I know why I don’t really play always my best in Roland Garros, but if I say it, it’s excuses. So I keep it to myself.”

Paris is by far the world major for Medvedev, who has lost in the first round in seven of his last 10 appearances..

Walton, who also beat Medvedev last August in Cincinnati, was thrilled: “It’s huge.” 

“I knew I could do it and I believed, so I’m just happy with my performance. I’m really excited right now.

“It was such an up-and-down match. I ⁠got off to a hot start, and I felt like the ebbs and flows of the match were quite large today. 

“I’m just really proud of my efforts ⁠in the fifth set, to come from a break down to get the win.”

2021 Paris runner-up Stefanos Tsitsipas reached the second round in well under an hour as French opponent Alexandre Muller retired with pain in his right clf to hand over a 6-2, 3-0 win to the Greek,

Tsitsipas is fighting his way out of a months-long slump which has left his former top 10 ranking down at 79th

But the unseeded threat felt in his element on another hot spring day as he played on the Chatrier showcourt.

“I’ve always felt like Chatrier has more of a kick to it. The heat always makes a court bouncier, it makes the clay dry up quicker, which has more of an effect ultimately.

“When we had rain here for a few days in a row in the past in the Roland Garros, I’ve always felt like the ball stays lower and you have the tendency to play longer rallies.”

Tsitsipas called this week’s heat “an extra challenge.”

“I’m mentally ready every single time to face it. I just want to make the most out of it in terms of grinding it out.

“It’s about who can withstand it better. The tennis feels like coming second when there is so much heat on the court.”

Croat veteran Marin Cilic, a 2022 semi-finalist, suffered a shock ouster at the hands of 17-year-old Frenchman Moise Kouame 7-6 (4), 6-2, 6-1.

Kouame is the first teen to defeat a former Grand Slam winner (Cilic won the 2014 US Open) in a Grand Slam debut match since Marat Safin beat Andre Agassi here in 1998.

The youngster coached by Richard Gasquet is also the first player born in 2009 to win a matchrogrogrog at a major. Former French player Gasquet faced Cilic four times in his career (2-2).

“I felt rather good, well prepared,” the winner said. “I was ready.

“We worked a lot on the tactics, on how to approach the match.

“Yesterday I also practised a lot on these courts, and last year I also practised and played here.

“So I knew a bit about the atmosphere and the crowd that was present today.”

British No. 1 Cam Norrie retired with a rib complaint to send Paraguay’s Alfredo Vallejo into the second round 7-6 (7), 2-0.

Gael Monfils concluded his French Open career with a five-set opening-round loss to compatriot Hugo Gaston, but bowed out with a smile and big plans for a future outside the court.

The last Paris match of the French showman came only hours after good Swiss friend Stan Wawrinka also said his career goodbyes to Roland Garros, with retirement set for the end of the season.

While three-time grand Slam winner Wawrinka, 41, lifted the title here 11 years ago, the best at the venue for the 39-year-old Monfils was the 2008 semi-finals.

“It’s a mixed feeling between happiness, sadness, and a lot of feelings, a lot of emotion. It’s very hard to describe,” Monfils said.

“Somehow I don’t want to dig too deep yet, but it’s not easy. It’s very hard, deeply inside is very hard, so I really try to block them.”

The Swiss-based player married to WTA No. 7 Elina Svitolina took to the court on Monday night 21 years after his first match here, when he also lost a 6-0 final set in his debut to Guillermo Cañas.

Against Gaston, Monfils fought back to level at two sets apiece after dropping the first two but ran out of gas in the fifth where he was blanked.

He told French media of his immediate plans, working with his brother to complete a massive 10,000-piece Lego of the Eiffel Tour.

He said he will be hoping for wildcard invitations to Wimbledon and possibly the US Open but will play the remainder of the season by ear. His schedule will be set to allow time to be with his daughter Skai as she begins preschool in September.

Monfils added that he is determined to play past the age of 40, meaning he would have to compete in some autumn events after his September birthday.

“My wish is to be an athlete that plays until 40 years old. Nico (His manager) says that he’s locked me in until 40, maybe 40 years and a few days, let’s see”

Main photo:- Gail Monfils waves farewell to Roland Garros after 21 years. – ©ATPTour.com

Eighth seed Alex de Minaur, who produced his best clay tennis just days ago with a Hamburg semi-final, began his French Open campaign 6-4, 6-4, 6-2 on Monday over Brit qualifier Toby Samuel, the No. 159.

“Happy to get my campaign started, it’s never easy starting the first match of a
tournament… but to get the win in straight sets, I thought I played a very consistent match. I did what I needed to do,” the Aussie said.

 Rising Spanish hope Rafael Jodar raced through a five-set match in 96 minutes as he hammered out a 6-1, 6-0, 6-4 defeat of American Aleksandar Kovacevic.

The 19-year-old has won 16 or his last 19 matches and is playing in only his second Grand Slam.

Thansis Kokkinakis joined his seeded compatriot with an opening win, requiring nearly four and a half hours to defeat Frenchman Terrance Atmane 6-7 (5), 6-2, 4-6, 6-3, 7-5.

The Aussie was playing his first Tour match in more than four months after injuries forced walkover at events in Adelaide and at a Croat Challenger this month.

One-time top 10 player Matteo Berrettini earned his first win here since 2021 as the former Wimbledon finalist defeated Marton Fucsovic 6-7 (2), 7-5, 6-1, 6-2.

The 105th-ranked Italian was competing in Paris after missing four editions through injury and earned his ninth win of the season.

Former champion Stan Wawrinka bowed out of his final Roland Garros edition as he hangs up his racquet at season’s end afr a two-decade-plus career at age 41.

The three-time Grand Slam champion Swiss lost to Dutchman Jesper de Jong, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 and said goodbye to the Roland Garros crowd.”This was amazing, more than what I could expect and what I could do enough, finishing
with so much support, so much love from the people.

“It was exactly the reason why I kept playing for so long.

“I’ve been on Tour for more than 20 years.
For me, when I was young, my dream was to be a professional tennis player, to be in the top 100, to have the opportunity to play those tournaments.

“But I never expected to achieve so big in the tennis. I never put any limit in my career.

“I always wanted more.I always walk out to get more, push myself, push my own limits, and try to find my own way to get there.

“So I’m happy and proud of what I achieved all those years, of course.

“Today it was really tough. It’s never easy to say good-bye to something you love so much.”