French Open: Medvedev shocked by wildcard Walton in first round
Key takeaways
- Former world number one Daniil Medvedev is stunned by Australia’s Adam Walton in the opening round at Roland Garros.
- The former world number one had fallen at the first hurdle in six of his previous nine appearances at the clay court Grand Slam, highlighting his uneasy relationship with Roland Garros and the sport’s slowest surface.
- “It’s huge,” Walton said of the victory in his on-court interview, adding that a win over Medvedev in Cincinnati last year had given him the confidence to repeat the feat.
Why this matters: an international story with cross-border implications worth tracking.
Former world number one Daniil Medvedev is stunned by Australia’s Adam Walton in the opening round at Roland Garros.
xwhatsapp-strokecopylinkgoogle Add Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Russia's Daniil Medvedev during his first round defeat by Australia's Adam Walton at the French Open [Benoit Tessier/Reuters]By Reuters Published On 26 May 202626 May 2026Daniil Medvedev could not avoid the French Open first-round trapdoor as he fell 6-2 1-6 6-1 1-6 6-4 to Australian wildcard Adam Walton in a match marked by sharp swings in momentum on the Parisian clay.
The former world number one had fallen at the first hurdle in six of his previous nine appearances at the clay court Grand Slam, highlighting his uneasy relationship with Roland Garros and the sport’s slowest surface.