Paris (AFP)
The improbable epic of Nicolas Mahut, 37 years old and 252nd worldwide, ended in the third round of Roland Garros against the Argentine Leonardo Mayer (68th), winner in four sets 3-6, 7-6 (7/3) , 6-4, 7-6 (7/3) friday.
The weight of years and the sequence of matches for this striker, the beneficiary of an invitation, whose clay is not the favorite surface, have undoubtedly weighed heavily. Mahut was treated with one leg during the second run and seemed short of juice at times.
In the first round, he had fought over three hours to overthrow Marco Cecchinato of Italy, the semifinalist of the previous edition, in five sets after two runs from scratch.
By reaching the third round, Mahut had equaled his best performance on Paris clay.
For the first time in the round of 16 at the French Open, Mayer will challenge Roger Federer.
? 2019 AFP