Walton ends Medvedev’s Roland-Garros early again, the biggest upset of the men’s draw

Adam Walton, the 26-year-old Australian playing the first Grand Slam main-draw match of his clay career, beat sixth seed Daniil Medvedev 6-2, 1-6, 6-1, 1-6, 6-4 on Tuesday at Roland-Garros – the biggest result of the world No. 97’s career, and a seventh first-round exit at this tournament for the Russian in 10 appearances.

The match swung in alternating sets, with Medvedev unable to find the consistent baseline rhythm he needs on clay. He had arrived in Paris off a semi-final run in Rome a fortnight ago, where he had pushed Jannik Sinner harder than anyone had managed all clay swing.

The contrast with what he produced on Suzanne-Lenglen was stark. Walton, who had spent the latest part of thes eason building his rankings breakdown on hard courts in China, found himself dictating exchanges that on paper he should have lost.

The fifth set told the story. Walton was broken to love at 0-40 to fall 1-3 down, and the match looked set to drift Medvedev’s way. From there the Australian dug in. He held a tense seven-deuce game to stay in the set at 2-3, saved two break points to hold at 3-4, and at 4-4 broke Medvedev for the first time in the decider.

4-2 Medvedev in the fifth

erving for a 5-4 lead, he played the longest game of the match – a hold in which, by the count of the Russian’s box, he saved five break points without hitting a first serve until the final point. Walton held. Medvedev served the next game to stay in the match, was broken, and the contest was over.

Medvedev, who has now lost in the first round at Roland-Garros in 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2023, 2025 and now 2026, will fall further down the live race-to-Turin standings. Walton, the kind of mid-ranked floater the big names dread on day two of a Slam, has a draw that opens up from here.