Former world number one Daniil Medvedev shocked Australia’s Adam Walton in the opening round of Roland Garros.
Published May 26, 2026
Daniil Medvedev was unable to avoid a French Open first-round trapdoor, losing 6-2, 1-6, 6-1, 1-6, 6-4 to Australian wild card Adam Walton in a match that saw rapid momentum shifts on the clay courts in Paris.
The former world number one has failed at the first hurdle in six of his past nine clay-court Grand Slam appearances, highlighting his uneasy relationship with Roland Garros and the slowest surface in the sport.
Medvedev showed early signs of frustration Tuesday when he dropped his serve and built a 4-2 lead against Walton in the first set, but the 30-year-old gave it back with a forehand over the baseline.
Medvedev lost just one game before winning the next set and regaining a rhythm of control, but the recovery was swift and noticeable as the sixth seed was unable to maintain control and conceded the third set.
Walton, ranked 97th in the world and looking for his first win against a top-10 player, surrendered the fourth set, but fought bravely in the decider, breaking back from 4-4 and holding firm in the end to oust Medvedev and claim a famous victory.
“This is huge,” Walton said of the win in an on-court interview, adding that last year’s win over Medvedev in Cincinnati gave him the confidence to repeat that feat.
“I knew I could do it, I believed in it, so I’m happy with my performance. I’m really excited right now.”
“It was a very up-and-down game. I’m pretty tired right now. We got off to a hot start, and I felt like the game had a lot of ups and downs.”
“I’m really proud of my effort coming out of a breakdown in the fifth set.”
The 27-year-old’s next fight is in the second round against American Zachary Svaida, who defeated Australian Alexei Popyrin.
