There were no significant upsets at the French Open on Monday, but to say that there were some close calls would be an understatement.
No. 13 seed Hubert Hurkacz and No. 11 Karen Khachanov both went to five sets, and Khachanov even had to come back from a two sets to love deficit against Frenchman Constant Lestienne. The Russian won 3-6, 1-6, 6-2, 6-1, 6-3 after three hours and 41 minutes. Hurkacz, who destroyed Goffin in straight sets last year at Roland Garros, survived against the 32-year-old Belgian 6-3, 5-7, 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 in three hours and 37 minutes.
Stefanos Tsitsipas, a former French Open runner-up (2021) and the No. 5 seed this year, avoided a fifth set–but just barely. Tsitsipas came back from 5-3 down to take the first set and won a tiebreaker in the fourth to hold off Jiri Vesely 7-5, 6-3, 4-6, 7-6(7) in three hours and 13 minutes. The Greek trailed 6-3 in the ‘breaker, too, before reeling off five of the next six points to clinch victory.
“He was a difficult obstacle today; I won’t lie,” Tsitsipas said of Vesely. “He gave me a hard time. I’m happy I overcame it in such a fashion. I was able to bounce back from all those difficulties that were being thrown at me constantly. Today’s win is very important for me.
“‘Just keep going to the ball;’ that’s what I kept telling myself. At times I was not going to the ball, staying still, waiting for it to come to me. So when I took charge, when I said, ‘I’m just going for it,’ I think that was the moment when I made that switch and won the match.”
close calls
The Tsitsipas match was bizarre. He just didn’t play very well.