Paris (AFP)
Two days and 6:05 of combat: the French Corentin Moutet lost 0-6, 7-6 (9/7), 7-6 (7/3), 2-6, 18-16 against the Italian Lorenzo Giustino 157th in the world and resulting from the qualifications, Monday during the first round of Roland Garros, after a Homeric match.
This is the second longest match in the history of the Parisian tournament in the Open era, after the one between Fabrice Santoro and Arnaud Clément in 2004 and which lasted 6:33!
The 29-year-old Neapolitan had never won a single match on the main circuit, let alone in the Grand Slam, and was playing his first meeting there in straight sets.
The match between the two men was interrupted Sunday evening due to rain and did not resume until mid-afternoon on Monday.
Moutet had easily won the first set, but Giustino managed to pick up again to lead to this epic 5th set which alone will have lasted more than 3 hours.
He finally won on his third match point against a Frenchman, who has nevertheless served him three times to win the game.
In the next round, Giustino will face Argentina's Diego Schwartzman, 14th in the world and recent striker of Rafael Nadal in the quarter-finals in Rome.
© 2020 AFP