Daniil Medvedev's difficult relationship with the French Open continued as the former world number one suffered a first-round defeat for the seventh time in his career, losing in five sets to Australian wildcard Adam Walton. The sixth seed, who won the US Open in 2021, capitulated in the final stages of a rollercoaster match, losing the last four games and dropping the final game to love. Walton triumphed 6-2, 1-6, 6-1, 1-6, 6-4 in three hours and 22 minutes.
A Recurring Nightmare in Paris
Medvedev, now 30, has fallen at the opening hurdle in seven of his 10 appearances at Roland Garros since his debut in 2017, including three of the last four years. This latest setback adds to a deeply curious clay-court season for the Russian. He suffered a humiliating 6-0, 6-0 loss to Matteo Berrettini in Monte Carlo, yet reached the semi-finals in Rome, pushing Jannik Sinner to three sets in a competitive display.
Grand Slam Struggles Continue
Despite re-entering the world top 10 in March and being seeded sixth in Paris, Medvedev has now suffered first-round exits at grand slams in four of his last five appearances. The exception came at the Australian Open in January, where he reached the fourth round. His defeat makes him the biggest casualty of the tournament so far, following the exit of seventh seed Taylor Fritz on Sunday.
Walton, ranked 97th in the world, secured the first top-10 win of his career, having previously defeated Medvedev in Cincinnati last season. The Australian is through to the second round in Paris for the second time.
