Daniil Medvedev’s misery at the French Open continues with another first-round exit

Daniil Medvedev’s poor record at the French Open continued on Tuesday as the former world number one crashed out again in the opening round to suffer a five-set defeat to Australian wild card Adam Walton at Roland Garros.

The sixth seed lost 6-2, 1-6, 6-1, 1-6, 6-4 in a dramatic match that swung wildly before Walton held his nerve in the deciding set to secure the biggest victory of his career.

The defeat marked Medvedev’s seventh first-round loss in 10 appearances in Paris, underscoring his long-term struggles on clay and particularly at Roland Garros. Despite being a former US Open champion and six-time Grand Slam finalist, the Russian has never looked entirely comfortable on the sport’s slowest surface.

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Medvedev endured a frustrating start as Walton broke early to take a 4-2 lead in the opening set. The Russian’s irritation was evident as errors crept into his game and the Australian closed out the set comfortably after Medvedev’s long forehand sailed wide.

As has often been the case during Medvedev’s career, the response was immediate. The 30-year-old rediscovered his rhythm in emphatic fashion, dominating the second set and conceding just one game to level the match.

But once again, consistency proved elusive. Walton, who is ranked 97th in the world, stepped it up in the third set and punished Medvedev’s uneven serve and movement on the clay to move ahead once more. Medvedev forced the decision in his favor after another one-sided set, but the momentum shifted again in a chaotic match full of swings.

Tied at 4-4 in the fifth set, Walton created the decisive moment by breaking Medvedev’s serve before holding on under pressure. The Australian then completed the upset by breaking the Russian to love in the final game to seal a memorable victory after three hours and 22 minutes.

The result continued a worrying Grand Slam trend for Medvedev, who has now suffered four first-round exits in his last five major appearances. His only deep run in that period came at the Australian Open earlier this year, where he reached the fourth round.

Medvedev’s clay court season reflects his inconsistency. He suffered a shock 6-0, 6-0 defeat at the hands of Matteo Berrettini in Monte Carlo, but later showed encouraging form in Rome, reaching the semi-finals and taking world number one Jannik Sinner to three sets.

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Issued by:

Saurabh Kumar

Published on:

26 May 2026 19:09 IST