Aussie underdogs shock tennis world with stunning upsets at Roland-Garros

Two Australian underdogs, two titanic upsets.

Kim Birrell has followed Adam Walton’s improbable fifth-set comeback victory over Daniil Medvedev at Roland-Garros for his maiden top-10 scalp with her own extraordinary upset against fifth-ranked American Jessica Pegula just shy of 10.30pm local time.

Walton needed Tennis Australia’s reciprocal wildcard to avoid having to qualify after his ranking slipped into triple digits last month, but made the most of it to rally from 2-4 down in the deciding set to beat Medvedev 6-2, 1-6, 6-1, 1-6, 6-4.

If that was not enough, about eight hours later, Birrell – who had never won a match at the claycourt major – defied losing a lopsided opening set and being down a break in the second to eliminate Pegula, 1-6, 6-3, 6-3.

The 83rd-ranked Australian surged to a 5-2, double-break lead in the deciding set, but could not serve the match out as tension soared, only for her to play an aggressive return game to break Pegula for a sixth time and shock the tennis world.

An emotional Birrell buried her face in her hands as she came to terms with the biggest win of her life, while her coach Nicole Pratt punched the air in the stands.

“I don’t really know what to say or think. When I saw the draw and I was playing Jessie, I knew it was going to be extremely tough,” Birrell said.

“I really admire her as a player and as a person, and I just tried to take it one point at a time. I thought she played so well in the first set, so my goal was just to win one game and then slowly gain some confidence.

“I’m so happy that I was able to play probably the best match I’ve played on clay and during a grand slam, especially here. It’s really, really special.”

Alex de Minaur has also received a free pass to the third round, with his scheduled opponent, Belgian Alexander Blockx – one of the tour’s rising stars – withdrawing after suffering an ankle injury in a practice session with fellow player Joao Fonseca.

Walton next faces American Zachary Svajda, who came from 3-5 down in the fourth set to oust Australia’s Alexei Popyrin 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7-3), 7-5, while Birrell’s second-round opponent is Ukrainian Oleksandra Oliynykova.

It is the seventh time in 10 visits to Roland-Garros that world No.7 Medvedev, a quarter-finalist in Paris in 2021, has failed to make it out of the first round.

Walton dropped his racquet in disbelief as Medvedev ballooned a forehand drive volley well behind the baseline to seal his shock defeat with a self-sabotaging final service game.

He ran over to celebrate with his coach Mark Draper in scenes reminiscent of when a player wins a grand slam title, such was his excitement at the career-best win.

The Queenslander lost his previous four matches against top-10 opponents, but credited his three-set victory over Medvedev – then ranked 15th – at last year’s Cincinnati Masters for fuelling his belief he could match it with the former world No.1.

“He was playing pretty well, making a lot of first serves [early in the fifth set], and was liking my ball, so I knew I just had to hang tough,” Walton said.

“I thought that 3-1 game [was crucial]. I faced some break points there, and if I go down 4-1, double break, it’s going to be pretty tough from there. Getting that hold and keeping the score close [was important]. I knew if I kept fighting, maybe I would get a chance – and I’m glad I did.”

Walton’s gallant bid to upend Medvedev on a scorching Paris day still seemed destined to fall short, even after he twice saved break points in that fifth game of the final set to keep his chances alive, given Medvedev’s response to that disappointment was to hold easily.

But the combustible Medvedev’s implosion was just around the corner.

Medvedev peppered Walton with more than 30 drop shots throughout their rollercoaster three-hour, 22-minute slugfest, but suddenly started struggling to keep the ball in the court.

It was Medvedev urging the French crowd to get behind him earlier in the set, but Walton began conducting the local fans after the Russian’s stray forehand cost him the break in the eighth game.

There were still more twists to come.

Medvedev generated three more break points in the ensuing game, including one when Walton dangerously struck an overhead barely inside the sideline when he could easily have played with more margin. He edged 5-4 in front in the fifth set when he chased down and put away another Medvedev drop shot to hold serve.

Medvedev unravelled quickly from there: putting a ghastly drop shot attempt into the net before doing the same on a backhand drive volley, then double-faulting for 0-40.

A fourth straight sloppy error ended Medvedev’s tournament, so he had only himself to blame – but Walton put himself in position with aggressive shot-making from the outset and a willingness to finish points at the net.

This was the 27-year-old’s fourth main draw win at grand slam level, so his resume is far more modest than the man he conquered, summed up by him playing a pair of Challenger hardcourt events in China as his tune-up for Roland-Garros.

By contrast, Medvedev was one of the rare players this year to take a set off red-hot world No.1 Jannik Sinner in the Rome Masters semi-finals barely a week ago.

The loss to Walton ended a typically dramatic claycourt campaign for the unpredictable Medvedev, who suffered a double-bagel defeat to Matteo Berrettini in Monte-Carlo in April.

“[It was] not an easy match. I didn’t play my best tennis,” Medvedev 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.”

Walton remained stoic throughout the wild ups and downs, whereas Medvedev was moaning about the heat before the first set was over, which comically caused his wife Daria, sitting courtside, to tell him to “behave”.

“It’s definitely hotter than previous years that I’ve played here,” Walton said.

“But we grow up in the heat [in Australia], we like the heat, so 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.”

Walton served brilliantly in the first and third sets – making 75 and 83 per cent of his first serves, respectively – which enabled him to dictate play against Medvedev, who took up his usual return spot metres behind the baseline.

But the Australian looked vulnerable whenever his percentages dipped, and Medvedev appeared to have averted the crisis when he reeled off nine of 11 games after dropping the third set.

Only one result looked likely at that stage, but Walton refused to wilt – and Medvedev was his own worst enemy.

It is the second straight year that Walton has reached the second round in the French capital, but he has never made the last 32 at a major. This is his best chance against 85th-ranked Svajda, who is making his debut at Roland-Garros.

Birrell and Walton are among six Australians to progress from the first round, joining de Minaur, James Duckworth, Thanasi Kokkinakis and Daria Kasatkina.

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