Adam Walton has notched the biggest scalp of his grand slam career when stunning former world No.1 Daniil Medvedev with a superb performance at Roland Garros, pulling off a massive comeback in the deciding set.
The Queenslander, who is currently ranked 97, revelled in the heat against the former US Open champion and sixth seed to progress 6-2 1-6 6-1 1-6 6-4 in a 3hr 22min match of swinging momentum on Court Suzanne Lenglen.
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The first four sets of the opening round match were lopsided and the fifth looked to be heading the same way when Medvedev, who received a pep talk from his wife Daria in the infancy of the match, broke the Australian early.
But Walton, who received the Tennis Australia wildcard into the French Open, rallied strongly from 2-4 down to level and then survived a testing service game of his own at 4-all, in which he saved two break points, to edge ahead.
In a remarkable finale, the 27-year-old was able to break the frazzled Medvedev, who was described as playing better than ever just two days earlier by Novak Djokovic, to love to clinch the biggest win of his career.
On posting his triumph on the famous stadium court, Walton put his hands to his head in disbelief and, after shaking hands with his rival, rushed to his supporters courtside to celebrate.
He later said his ability to hold serve when trailing 1-3 in the fifth set when saving a string of break points proved critical to his ability to stay in the match.
“He was playing pretty well (and) making a lot of first serves, and he was liking my ball, but I knew I just had to hang tough,” Walton said.
“I thought the 3-1 game, I faced some break points there, and if I go down 4-1 it is a double-break it’s going to be pretty tough from there. So getting that hold and definitely just keeping the score close (was important). I knew if I just kept fighting, maybe, maybe I would get a chance and … I’m glad I did.”
Pitted against one of the world’s leading defenders, Walton produced a well-balanced match, with his all-court game and exceptional movement frustrating the mercurial Medvedev, whose frustration bubbled over on occasion.
Midway through a first set dominated by the Australian, Medvedev began complaining about the heat, but his wife Daria was having none of it, telling the 2021 US Open winner it was the same for everyone.
Although the temperature of 32C may not sound extreme by Aussie standards, those in attendance from Melbourne in Victoria to Melbourne in Florida and everywhere in between found it stifling.
It prompted Paris officials to issue a severe heat warning, though Walton was more than happy with the sizzling temperature.
And he had the benefit of belief, having previously edged the Russian star in the Cincinnati Masters last year.
“It’s definitely hotter than previous years that I’ve played here, but … we grow up in the heat, we like the heat,” he said.
“It makes the ball move faster through the air, which I think helped my game today. So I really like it when it’s hot in Paris.”
Medvedev was not enamoured with his form but credited the underdog with rising to the occasion when it mattered.
“(It was) not an easy match. I didn’t play my best tennis,” he said.
“He played good some moments, some moments not that good, and I managed to take the match 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.”
Despite his complaints about the heat in the infancy of the match, he said more pertinent to his struggles was the 11am timing – clearly he is not a morning man – and the fact it was his opening match.
“Every tournament has a different court, different balls, different … what else? I mean, I can be different every day,” he said.
“I don’t like to (get) up early, and I’m usually less performative when I (get) up at 6:15 in the morning. I like to sleep in. So this is just part of a small … let’s say, in tennis you need to adapt to the things, and sometimes I’m not good enough to adapt to it, and sometimes I am. That’s basically all I can tell you.”
His reward is a clash with American Zach Svadja, who ousted Walton’s compatriot Alexei Popyrin 6-3 3-6 7-6 (3) 7-5.
The Australian, a former Roland Garros boys champion, will lament a string of missed opportunities as the match tightened, which included an errant drop shot when serving to force a deciding set.
Popyrin was ranked a career-high 19 at the start of last August but has since slumped to the mid-80s, based on a live estimate, and cut a dejected soul as he assessed how to turn around a form slump.
“We’ll see. I don’t know yet. I’m not sure. It is too close to the match,” he said.
“I think I’m still a little bit emotional, so I don’t want to make an emotional decision at all in terms of what I’m going to do, in terms of schedules, in terms of anything, actually. So I’m just going to take some time, cool off a little bit, and then we’ll see what I’ll do.”