In the match taking place on Suzanne Lenglen's court on May 26, Adam Walton, a player ranked 97th in the world, defeated Medvedev after 5 sets with scores of 6-2, 1-6, 6-1, 1-6, 6-4. The match lasted more than 3 hours and witnessed an exciting score chase between the two players.
Right from the first set, Medvedev encountered many difficulties when he lost an early break and could not regain the game. However, the former world No. 1 quickly responded with an overwhelming victory in the second set to bring the match back to the starting line.
However, instability continued to put the Russian player at a disadvantage. Walton took advantage of the opponent's mistakes to win the 3rd set. Medvedev once again equalized the score after the 4th set before the 2 players entered the decisive set.
At the most important moment, Walton showed his bravery when he broke back at a score of 4-4, then successfully defended his service game before breaking Medvedev's service game to close the match.
This result marks Adam Walton's first career victory against an ATP top 10 opponent. The 27-year-old player also qualified for the second round of Roland Garros for the first time, creating one of the biggest surprises since the beginning of the tournament.
Meanwhile, the defeat continues to show that Medvedev is facing many difficulties on clay courts. This is the 6th time in 9 Roland Garros appearances that the Russian player has been eliminated from the first round.
Stopping early also prevented Medvedev from going deep at the only Grand Slam tournament where he had never reached the final.
In the next round, Adam Walton will face American player Zachary Svajda, who defeated Alexei Popyrin in the first round match.
