Monfils qualified at the end of the night, Medvedev falls from above

2023-05-30 18:14:00

After six months in the hard, Gaël Monfils is back on the front of the stage. The Frenchman qualified for the second round of Roland-Garros on Tuesday May 30 by beating, despite cramps and after 3:47 of play, the Argentinian Sebastian Baez (42^e) (3-6, 6-3, 7-5, 1-6, 7-5), picking up his first-ever victory since returning to competition in March. In the next round, the 36-year-old Frenchman fell back to 394^e rank will face the Dane Holger Rune (6^e).

“I had a new breath, pushed by the public. There are people who shouted, I said to myself: Come on, here we go again. And here it is… It’s exceptional, I have no words”, declared the one who participates in his 16^e Roland Garros. “It’s super late, you stayed, you supported me on every point, it was very hard”, he launched to the public before adding: “It was the first round, we will try to have a nice party for the 2^e round too. »

The big surprise of the day is undoubtedly the elimination of Daniil Medvedev, considered one of the main underdogs at Roland-Garros. The Russian was eventually knocked out in the first round by Brazilian Thiago Seyboth Wild, 172^e and from qualifying (7-6, 6-7, 2-6, 6-3, 6-4). The Russian had seemed to take a liking to clay, a surface he hated until then, winning the Masters 1000 in Rome just before coming to Paris. It is not so.

READ ALSOIn 2023, French tennis wants to believe in the rebound

Gasquet eliminated in five sets in a Franco-French duel

Nobody wanted to see him leave the tournament in the first round. But Richard Gasquet had to bow in a Franco-French duel at Roland-Garros. At 36, the 52^e world will not have succeeded in taming Arthur Rinderknech.

For its fourth participation, the 78^e World Cup wins its first match in the Paris Grand Slam (6-4, 2-6, 6-2, 7-6). But he will be scared. Because after leading 5-0 in the 4^e set, he saw Gasquet come back to equality and had to go for his victory in the tie-break. “I hope to play one last Roland-Garros next season,” said the veteran, nearing the end now.

READ ALSORoland-Garros 2023: potential semi-final between Alcaraz and Djokovic

Vain battles for the French

Overall, this third day will have been complicated again for the French players. Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, the first Frenchman to enter the courts, will however have delivered an exceptional match. For his first Roland-Garros, the 237^e world will have believed in it until the 5th^e set, before collapsing completely against Genaro Alberto Olivieri, 231^e in the ATP rankings (6-7, 6-4, 6-4, 5-7, 1-6).

The day was also fatal for Hugo Gaston (109^e), who failed to set up his game (1-6, 6-7, 4-6) and will not repeat his feat of 2020, when he reached the round of 16 after coming out on top match of his young career against Stanislas Wawrinka.
Gregoire Barrere (58^e) is more experienced but met the same fate. However, he had the match in hand after three sets (2-6, 7-6, 7-5), but ended up breaking down in the last two (1-6, 4-6) and seeing the Finn Emil Ruusuvuori rally the second turn.

It took nearly 4:30 hours for the Argentinian comeback Guido Pella to overcome Quentin Halys (88^e). The matches follow and look alike for the Frenchman, who once again lost in the super tie-break (4-6, 7-6, 6-2, 6-7, 6-7).

PARTNER SERVICESFollow Roland Garros on Amazon Prime Video!

Diane Parry saves honor among women

Among women, Océane Dodin (122^e) won her match against her compatriot Selena Janicijevic, 20 (179^e). It took him a set to get in working order (0-6, 6-1, 6-1). Fiona Ferro (465)^e), for her part, will not have succeeded in developing her tennis against Rebecca Peterson, the Swede 87^e in the WTA rankings (2-6, 0-6). Clara Burel (76)^e) also stops at this stage after losing to Sara Sorribes Tormo (6-7, 2-6).

Facing the Ukrainian Kalinina (26^e), Diane Parry (79^e) will have achieved a small feat with her victory in two sets (6-2, 6-3). For her fifth appearance at Roland-Garros in singles, she could also claim her best performance (3^e round). She will meet in the next round the 16-year-old Russian prodigy, Mirra Andreeva (143^e).

In the second round, there are therefore five French (Pouille, van Assche, Humbert, Moutet and Rinderknech), pending the match of Gaël Monfils, and four French (Garcia, Parry, Dodin and Jeanjean).